The Ojibara of Bayagan Alh. Kamilu Salami has been kidnapped.
Bayagan is a community in the Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State.
It was reliably gathered that the monarch was kidnapped around 9:30 am on Saturday at his farm by a gang of bandits who stormed the location with AK-47 rifles.
The alarm was raised by fellow farmers in the area who could not locate Alhaji Salami but found his motorcycle abandoned on the farm premises.
This sparked concerns, prompting a search among the villagers.
Speaking anonymously, a source from the community disclosed that a farmer from a neighbouring village witnessed the abduction.
The eyewitness, who claimed he was hiding inside a guinea corn farm, said he saw the kidnappers at gunpoint forcing the traditional ruler onto a motorcycle and speeding off in an unknown direction.
As of the time of reporting, the family and the community have yet to be contacted by the kidnappers.
No demand for ransom has been made, heightening anxiety within the town.
‘We are living in fear. Nobody knows what will happen next. The safety of our ruler and even the entire community is at stake’, a family source lamented.
Contacted on the abduction of the monarch, Police Public Relations Officer Ejire Adeyemi said she was not aware of the development but promised to contact the DPO in the area.
‘I’m not aware but I will get in touch with the DPO in that area and give you updates shortly’, she said.
The incident has triggered fresh concerns over the worsening insecurity plaguing communities across the state.
Two major kidnap incidents occurred in the Ekiti Local Government Area of the state in the last two weeks when bandits abducted 38 congregants in a Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) Oke-Isegun in Eruku, while three persons were killed.
Barely 24 hours after the 38 victims were rescued, no fewer than 20 residents were kidnapped in Isapa, about five kilometres from Eruku.
The abductees remain with their captors as of press time.
