Over 22 persons are currently being held captive by bandits in different communities in Kwara South, with their captors demanding an aggregate of over N400 million, foods and drinks as ransom.

The affected communities, which include Adanla, Isapa, Isanlu-Isin and Owa-Onire, are those not captured by the military emplacements by the state and federal government.

Vanguard reliably gathered that the bandits migrated from communities like Okeode, Babanla Eruku, where the Federal Government had facilitated military base, to other communities that has little or no security presence to continue their onslaught.

Meet the captives

Currently, nine persons including the monarch of Afin in Ile Ere district Oba Simeon Olanipekun and son Olaolu, a youth corper abducted in December are still being held, same with nine persons abducted in Isapa and the two persons kidnapped on highway on Isanlu-Isin early this year.

Also, two persons kidnapped in Owa-Onire in December are still in the captivity of the bandits.

The monarch, Olowa of Owa-Onire Oba AbdulRahman Fabiyi, who claimed to have been abducted sometimes in 2024, and was released after payment of N5 million, told journalists on Friday that two persons abducted in the community in December are still with the bandits.

According to him, “I spoke with the two of them yesterday. We have paid them N2 million and we have negotiated down to N800,000 and lists of foods and drinks they gave us to also bring along with the amount before the two persons can be released.”

The monarch, who lamented over the porosity of the community without presence of any security, pleaded with the state government to speedily facilitate police station in Owa-Onire to discourage the incessant kidnappings.

He said, “They always operate freely here. We don’t have presence of security in Owa-Onire.

“Our concern is that whenever they exhaust the ransom money and foods and drinks we supplied, they’ll come out again and abduct my people. So, we urgently need presence of security to discourage this kind of sad development.”

Oba Olanipekun, who recalled his experience in the hands of bandits and the inability of the security agents to neutralised them, said: “The forests is extremely large and the routes are multiple and they know the routes because they have been existing there for decades.

“That’s why they always warn anyone not to attempt to escape.

“So the multiple routes and the largeness of the thick forests where they operate has been a major tasks for the security agents. That is why I’m pleading with the state government to provide security for my own people.”

Shedding light on this development, Coordinator of the Joint Security Watch for Kwara South Senatorial District, Zubair Olaitan, said: “Arresting and neutralizing bandits in Kwara South has been challenging due to several factors.

“The region’s terrain, with its vast forests, hills and caves as well as porous borders, provides a safe haven for these criminals.

“The bandits have also reportedly received support from locals, including food, shelter, and intelligence, making it harder for security forces to track them down.

“Lack of effective communication (like drones etc) and coordination between security agencies and local communities has hindered efforts to combat banditry.

“However, the Kwara State Government, in collaboration with federal security agencies, has taken steps to address these challenges, including deploying forest guards and launching joint patrols.

“Recent operations have yielded some successes, with security forces neutralizing several bandits and arresting suspects supplying them with guns, food, and other essentials.

“The government has also warned that it will not tolerate banditry and is committed to restoring peace in the region. I’m aware that efforts are ongoing by security operatives to study the terrain and further comb the forests.”

The helmsman for security network in Kwara south however said that, “No progress has been recorded on the bandits demand for N300 million ransom for the release of nine victims abducted in Adanla community of Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara state on Boxing Day, December 26, 2025.

He said that the bandits have so far made three contacts with the community leaders that “if the N300m is not paid, the victims will not be released.”

The bandits seized the nine victims in an attempt to abduct the King of the community, and his wife on Boxing Day, but failed.

The King, David Olarinoye, was away to Igbaja town for a programme when the armed bandits invaded his community.

The bandits, however, later seized nine other victims in the community and marched them to the bush.

Recall that while seven victims were abducted at the palace of the King, two others were captured on their way to the bush.

Following the abduction, the bandits demanded N300 million for the release of the abducted victims, resisting any negotiations for reduction of the ransom.

Similarly in Isapa, Ekiti local government area of the state, Akeweje of Isapa land Chief Idowu Sunday said that 11 persons are still being held by the bandits who are demanding for N35 million for them to be released.

He however said that a pregnant Hausa woman who was among the captives was recently brought to a stream in OroAgo (another neighbouring town) on a motorcycle by the bandits when she was displaying pregnancy contraction, a sign that she’ll soon give birth.

Idowu Sunday, also the acting Asipa Ode of Isapa land explained that the bandits initially demanded for N300 million since they collected N350 million to release those abducted in CAC Oke-Isegun in Eruku.

He added that after much negotiation, they asked the community to bring N35 million, but thereafter the community asked three of their members to give the bandits N4 million to secure their release.

He explained further that two of the persons that went to give the bandits the amount were angrily seized with others, making the 11 persons, dubbing the amount as recharge card while the third person who stood afar, waiting for the two, luckily escaped.

The Akeweje, who Is also craving for state government intervention, said that the bandit are threatening to kill the 11 persons, and will further come to Isapa community and be killing residents if the amount is not paid.

“We can’t take the bandits for granted because we know what they can do. We don’t want them to kill our people. So the state government should please come to our aid,” he said. (Vanguard)

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