The abducted monarch of Bayagan community in Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State, Alhaji Kamilu Salami, the Ojibara of Bayagan, has escaped from the custody of armed bandits alongside six other captives.
Community sources said the escape occurred on Sunday evening after local vigilantes launched a coordinated offensive deep inside the forest where the captives were being held.
“The vigilante team launched an attack on the bandits in the forest and engaged them in a fierce battle around the Eku Idaji area, close to Igbaja,” a source told newsmen. “Although the Baale and the six others have not yet returned home, they contacted us to confirm what happened.”
The bandits had earlier demanded N150 million for the monarch’s release and, in a phone call early Sunday, allowed him to speak with community leaders as proof he was alive and in their custody.
During the call, the Ojibara pleaded for negotiations for his safe release and narrated how he was transported for more than five hours on a motorcycle through dense forest before reaching the kidnappers’ hideout. He also disclosed that several other residents from nearby communities had been abducted around the same period.
Alhaji Kamilu Salami was kidnapped around 9:30 a.m. on Saturday when armed bandits stormed his farm, shooting sporadically before taking him away.
Relief swept through Bayagan community after news of the monarch’s escape filtered in, though residents say they remain anxious until he and the other captives return safely.
