Kidnap terror forces 30 Kwara kings into hiding

By: Abudu Olalekan

Thirty traditional rulers—kings, chiefs, Kabiyesis—have bolted from their palaces in southern Kwara. Not because they wanted to. Because staying meant risking death… or worse, abduction.

This ain’t some rumor swirling in WhatsApp groups. We spoke to folks on the ground. Community heads. Palace aides. Farmers who’ve stopped farming. Traders who packed up shop. And yeah—even a few who barely escaped with their lives.

Places like Omugo, Oreke, Afin, Ologanmo? Ghost towns now. Palaces sitting empty. Thrones gathering dust. Some monarchs haven’t set foot back home in nearly a year.

Take Omugo. Wale Olasunkanmi, a local, told us straight: “Our Eesa used to live among us. Led during crises. Now? He only shows up for meetings—and leaves before sunset.” After bandits hit their church in March ’26 and snatched eight people? That was it. Mass exodus.

And Oreke-Okeigbo? Deserted since June ’25. Remember when those miners got ambushed near the marble site? Two cops dead—ASP Haruna Watsai and Inspector Tukur Ogah. That’s when everyone just… vanished. Samuel Afolayan, who worked at the palace, hasn’t been back since. “The king’s gone. The palace? Empty. Even the neighbors cleared out.”

Then there’s Oba Simeon Olaonipekun of Afin. Snatched New Year’s Eve—with his own son. The kid got out after 21 days. Dad? Took a N30m ransom. And he’s still recovering. “Harsh conditions,” whispered a palace insider. “At his age? It wrecked him.”

But here’s what really chills you:

They’re not just running anymore. They’re being hunted.

In Olayinka last Saturday, gunmen stormed Oba Salman Aweda’s palace at dawn. Took him. His wife. Another resident. Police later rounded up 42 illegal miners linked to the job. Ransom demand? Four. Hundred. Million naira.

A witness named Tunde said it felt like war. “Guns blazing. People scattering. Before we blinked—Kabiyesi was gone.” Turns out, the attackers knew exactly when royalties were paid. Came asking for cash. Got it. Still took the king.

And this isn’t isolated.

Back in Sept ‘25, Baale of Ogbayo? Killed in his own palace.

Feb ‘24? Olukoro of Koro-Ekiti—shot dead. Wife kidnapped.

Nov ‘25? Ojibara of Bayagan-Ile—snatched off his farm. Freed after 25 days. Paid N40m.

Ransoms these days? Start at N40m. Sometimes balloon to N400m. Families selling land. Borrowing from loan sharks. Just to get their loved ones back.

Olaitan Oyin-Zubair, head of Joint Security Watch in Kwara South, put it bluntly: “We warned them. Said communities were emptying out. Nobody listened. Now? Over 28 towns abandoned. Oro-Ago. Ahun. Owa-Kajola. Ghost zones. Farms rotting. Schools shut. Markets dead.”

Bose Adeyemi, a yam seller from Oro-Ago, now hawking in Ilorin: “Who’s gonna farm when you might get grabbed on your way to the field?”

Janet Adebisi, retired civil servant? Dumped her entire agro-investment. “My life > my gratuity.”

Meanwhile, the Traditional Council? Under fire. Folks asking—where’s the leadership? Meetings held? Sure. Visible action? Not so much.

One unnamed palace source muttered: “Things are happening behind closed doors. Can’t spill everything. Security stuff.”

But Abdul-Rahoof Bello-Labelabe? He ain’t whispering.

Advocate for Igbomina Liberty. Northern Yoruba Nationality guy. Loud. Clear. Angry.

“Monarchs have blood on their hands too,” he snapped. “They gave land to bandits. Let them marry locals. Set up markets. Installed Serikis for outsiders. If security was their problem? They’d fix it.”

He blames the erosion of tradition. “In the old days? No one dared touch a king. Warriors wore crowns. Today? Politicians. Rich guys. Connected fellas. That’s who gets picked. And they don’t give a damn about ancestral rites.”

Even Oba David Olajide of Osi—who survived an attack himself—agrees. “Some obas weren’t chosen right. Money. Govt connections. That’s how they got the stool. These men won’t uphold tradition. Won’t protect their people. Too busy spraying cash at owambe, riding in convoys…”

He paused. “Bandits can’t kill a real monarch. Not if the throne still holds power. But today? The throne’s become a brand. Not a shield.”

Vigilantes? Trying. Barely armed. Outgunned. Musa from Ifelodun says they know the forests better than anyone—but “they got AKs. We got dane guns. Help comes too late.”

Bode Iranloye, Igbomina Professionals chair, called it “alarming.” Wants drones. Intel networks. Crackdown on illegal mining.

Security analyst Sadiq Lawal? Dropped the mic: “When kings become targets, authority’s collapsed. In African tradition? Monarchs are sacred. Untouchable. If criminals aren’t scared anymore… we’re past the point of no return.”

—

So yeah. Thirty kings on the run.

Not drama. Not exaggeration.

Reality.

And nobody knows when—or if—they’ll ever go home.