Bandits Demand N400m, Food, Drinks for 22 Hostages in Kwara South as Terror Reigns in Unguarded Communities
By Our Correspondent, Kwara
Gun-wielding bandits have tightened their grip on Kwara South, holding over 22 helpless victims captive across remote communities while demanding a staggering N400 million ransom, alongside crates of drinks and bags of food.
The brazen attacks target areas like Adanla, Isapa, Isanlu-Isin, and Owa-Onire, villages starved of police posts or military checkpoints, leaving residents at the mercy of forest marauders.
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Investigations by our reporter reveal the bandits fled fortified spots like Okeode and Babanla Eruku, slinking into these softer targets to unleash fresh horror.
In Afin alone, nine souls languish in chains, including the revered monarch, Oba Simeon Olanipekun, and his son, Olaolu. Another nine are trapped in Isapa, while two were snatched earlier this year along the dreaded Isanlu-Isin highway, and two more from Owa-Onire.
Oba AbdulRahman Fabiyi, the Owa-Onire traditional ruler who himself survived a 2024 kidnap after forking out N5 million, confirmed the plight. “We don already pay N2 million, but dem negotiate down to N800,000, plus food and drinks, before dem go release our people,” the distraught king told our correspondent in a phone interview.
“Government must build police station for Owa-Onire now, before these animals finish us” Oba Olanipekun, still haunted by his captivity, painted a grim picture of the bandits’ lair. “The forests dey too big, routes plenty, and dem sabi everywhere like back of their hand. Anybody wey try escape, dem warn with bullet,” he lamented, explaining why security sweeps often come back empty-handed.
Zubair Olaitan, Coordinator of the Joint Security Watch for Kwara South, blamed the crisis on rugged terrain, leaky borders, and alleged local collaborators. “Na the bush and informers dey give dem upper hand. Security agencies no dey communicate well with communities, na why bandits dey win,” Olaitan decried, calling for better intel-sharing.
Yet, glimmers of hope pierce the darkness. Kwara State Government, alongside federal forces, has unleashed forest rangers, joint patrols, and raids that wasted several bandits and nabbed suppliers of guns, food, even Indian hemp.
But as ransoms climb and cries echo from the wilds, residents ask: How long before the next village falls?
Kwara South’s nightmare demands urgent action, more boots on the ground, border seals, and community vigilance.
Will Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq heed the monarchs’ pleas before N400 million bleeds the poor dry?
