Ten days after gunmen kidnapped the Ojibara of Bayagan-Ile, Alhaji Kamilu Salami, in broad daylight on his farm, the Bayagan-Ile community in Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State has accused the Nigeria Police of abandoning them to their fate.
In a strongly worded statement issued Sunday evening and made available to journalists, community spokesperson Alhaji Rafiu Ayinla Lawal said the monarch remains in captivity inside thick forests and pleaded for urgent intervention from the Kwara State Government and security agencies.
“His Royal Highness was abducted by armed bandits on 29 November 2025. Since then, the entire community has been living in fear, tension and emotional distress,” Lawal said.
He expressed particular frustration at the continued silence of the police.
“Despite repeated efforts by the royal family and the community to obtain information and support investigations, the Nigeria Police Force has neither visited the community nor issued any official statement or update on the incident. This silence has only deepened our anxiety,” he added.
The statement stressed that, up to this moment, only the royal family and the community have been “running around” to secure the monarch’s release.
“We therefore humbly and passionately appeal to the Kwara State Government, the Inspector-General of Police and all relevant security agencies to come to our aid. The community alone cannot bear this burden,” Lawal pleaded.
He urged the authorities to intensify rescue efforts, provide regular updates to the family and take decisive action to bring the Ojibara home safely.
Early reports last week had claimed the monarch and six other captives escaped during a vigilante raid on the bandits’ camp. However, the community has now clarified that those reports were premature and that Alhaji Salami remains in the hands of his abductors.
Kwara State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Toun Ejire-Adams, had yet to respond to enquiries at the time of filing this report.
As the tenth night falls without their traditional ruler, residents of Bayagan-Ile say they can only pray—and wait—for the intervention they desperately need.
