Heavily armed bandits have invaded the palace in Olayinka community in Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State.
During midnight raids which occurred around 1:40 a.m, the bandits whisked away the monarch Oba Salman Aweda, one of his wives, and other residents into the forest and have now thrown the community into fear, as the gunmen were said to have operated with total impunity.
Oba Aweda was a recently elevated traditional ruler who had just been formally installed by the state government.
An eyewitness said that “The bandits came heavily armed,” one terrified resident recounted. “They took the monarch, his wife, and one other person.
Local sources confirmed that the town remains in a state of panic, with many fearing that the kidnappers have already moved their victims deep into the surrounding wilderness. “Because of the shooting, nobody could do anything to stop them.”
In a bid to prevent a repeat of recent tragedies in the region, a massive joint search-and-rescue operation has been launched and the Chairman of Ifelodun Local Government, Abdulrasheed Yusuf, who visited the scene, described the incident as “deeply disturbing.”
He said Forest guards, local vigilantes, and state security operatives are currently combing the forests and neighboring communities in a high-stakes race against time.
Yusuf urged the public to remain calm but vigilant, stressing that “community cooperation” is the only way to track the bandits’ movements in the difficult terrain.
This latest raid has reignited fears of a resurgence in banditry across Kwara South, an area that has seen a spike in kidnappings targeting high-profile individuals and traditional institutions.
As the families of the victims wait in agony, there are growing calls for the state government to establish a permanent and more robust security presence in the vulnerable border communities.
Veteran journalist and recipient of A.B.C Yola, Reporter of the Year Award (1997), Hassan Umar Shallpella, works with WAP as a Regional Correspondence. He was trained at Institute of Mass Communication and Technology Jos and Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, Training School Lagos.He was a News desk Editor and a Correspondent at the Punch newspaper and till 2019, was the Deputy Editor ofThe Scope newspaper.
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