Bandits Demand ₦150m Ransom for Abducted Kwara Monarch, Alhaji Kamilu Salami

Tension gripped the Bayagan community in Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State this
weekend after armed bandits demanded a staggering ₦150 million ransom for the release of their
traditional ruler, the Ojibara of Bayagan, Alhaji Kamilu Salami.

The monarch was abducted on Saturday morning in a brazen attack that highlights the escalating
security challenges facing traditional institutions and rural communities in the North Central region.
According to local sources, the incident occurred around 9:30 AM on Saturday, November 29, 2025.
Alhaji Salami was inspecting his farm when he was ambushed by a gang of gunmen armed with AK-47
rifles.
An eyewitness, a fellow farmer who narrowly escaped detection by hiding within a guinea corn
plantation, recounted the terrifying moment. “I saw the kidnappers forcing the Ojibara onto a
motorcycle. They were heavily armed and sped off into the bush towards an unknown destination,” the
witness reportedly told community leaders.

The alarm was raised when other farmers discovered the monarch’s motorcycle abandoned on the farm
premises later that day, confirming fears that he had been forcibly taken.
By the early hours of Sunday, November 30, the abductors had established contact with the community.
Sources close to the palace confirmed that the bandits used the monarch’s phone to issue their
demand: a non-negotiable sum of ₦150 million.

During the brief call, the kidnappers reportedly allowed Alhaji Salami to speak to community
representatives to provide proof of life. In a distressed tone, the monarch urged his subjects to
negotiate with the captors to secure his release, revealing that he had been transported on a motorcycle
through dense forests for over five hours to a hideout deep within the bush. He also noted that several
other individuals from neighboring settlements were being held captive in the same location.

This incident is the latest in a troubling wave of abductions in Kwara State, a region previously
considered relatively peaceful compared to its northern neighbors. It comes just weeks after the
abduction of 38 worshippers from a church in Eruku, Ekiti Local Government Area, who were later
released following security interventions.
Security experts have warned that criminal elements, facing intense military pressure in the North West,
are increasingly migrating southwards, viewing soft targets in Kwara as lucrative opportunities for
ransom.

Update as of Sunday Evening: In a dramatic turn of events, credible reports emerging late Sunday
indicate that Alhaji Kamilu Salami may have regained his freedom. Security sources and local vigilante
groups report that a coordinated offensive by local hunters and vigilantes on the bandits’ hideout in the
Eku Idaji forest axis led to a fierce gun battle.
Preliminary reports suggest the monarch, along with six other captives, utilized the chaos of the firefight
to escape custody. While the Kwara State Police Command has yet to issue an official statement
confirming the details of the escape, jubilation has reportedly broken out in Bayagan village as residents
await the return of their ruler.

By Oyinkansola Shittu.

thewyreng