Gunmen attacked a local church in Nigeria’s central Kogi state, abducting at least 13 worshippers, in the latest incident in a wave of kidnappings that has heightened concerns over worsening security in the region.

Kingsley Fanwo, the state’s information commissioner, said the attack took place on Sunday at a church in the remote town of Aiyetoro-Kiri, where an exchange of gunfire erupted between the assailants and local hunters recruited by authorities as a first line of defense.

Fanwo added that the clash left four attackers dead and ten others wounded, noting that security forces are continuing to pursue the kidnappers who fled with the hostages.