Constant Kidnapping Attacks Leave Kwara Communities Deserted

It was the night of June 22, 2025, when Salisu David (not his real name) returned to his family’s residence at Oreke Oke-gbo, Ifelodun Local Government Area (LGA) of Kwara State, that he knew he had made a grave mistake.

His family had moved away months earlier due to the spate of kidnappings, but he came back briefly to register his children for entrance examinations. That night, the abductors struck and took him along with his wife.

“We had stopped sleeping at home due to the incessant kidnapping cases, but my wife and I returned only to register the children for their exams. We were captured at our family house that night and taken into the forest around 11 pm. I later realised my wife had been released along the way,” he recounted.

He was forced to march for nearly nine kilometres to Awere, where the gang’s motorcycles patiently waited. From there, he was taken to an undisclosed location.

“I spent 33 days there without food, water, or clothing. I was kept on a rock with other captives, exposed to harsh weather, beaten repeatedly until I pleaded for bail by paying a ransom,” he said.

The abductors initially demanded ₦50 million. Negotiations saw the figure reduced, but he eventually paid ₦30 million after selling three cars, plots of land, and borrowing from customers. The bandits also collected 25 litres of palm oil, ₦30,000 in MTN airtime, and ₦30,000 in Glo airtime.

“They seemed powerful, boasting of controlling territories from Zamfara down to Kogi and even Abuja. During my ordeal, I was moved to four different sites, each with captives. Judging by their language, they were Fulani men,” he added.

David’s incident, however, is not in isolation. Currently, about 20 communities, including Oreke-Okegbo, lie deserted in Kwara State. With vigilantes overwhelmed and police authorities’ presence almost nonexistent, residents say only government intervention can stop the menace.

On August 19, the Onisagbe of Sabe Land, Oba Isiaka Sadiku Lawal, expressed deep concern over the constant invasion of Sagbe communities. He lamented how kidnappers now move from town to town, killing and abducting people while stealing properties.

“The bandits have destroyed communities like Ologomo, Ajegunle, Iwo-agbon, Alabe-dera, all under Sagbe town. They have also displaced people in Owode, Alasoro, and Alawon. Worst still, they descended on Bankole, killing and abducting an unknown number while stealing cows,” he said.

The monarch admitted that local vigilantes can no longer cope and appealed to the Chairman of Ifelodun LGA, Femi Yusuf, and the Kwara State Governor, Abdulrazaq Abdulrahman, for military and police deployment.

“Sagbe town has no security presence. The vigilante have tried their best but failed. We call on the government, DSS, and Sobi commander to secure our town. We want security here,” he pleaded.

But despite the plea, the case deepens. A resident, Ganiyu Babatunde, captured the exodus of displaced persons in a video recorded at Oke-Ode garage. Families could be seen fleeing Sagbe while lamenting that neither adults nor children could move freely. Many said they were ready to abandon the area unless urgent help arrived.

In a video circulated on Facebook, residents of the Babanla community lamented after two people were killed and ten motorcycles were stolen during a fresh attack. One young man, who had just bought his motorcycle two months earlier, narrated how the attackers dismantled it and carted away the body.

“I don’t even know where to start. That was my means of survival,” he said.

Meanwhile, in May 2025, a viral video showed vigilantes interrogating a man named Saleh Yusuf, who claimed to be the godson of a notorious figure known as Aro. Saleh confessed that he had previously served two years in prison for kidnapping and alleged that the latest attacks were led by a man called Smally.

“My name is Saleh Yusuf from Babanlan, son of Aro. Aro told me to stop stealing after I left prison, but Smally and others brought me back into kidnapping. We had two AK-47 rifles, but I don’t know where one of them is,” he admitted.

He begged for forgiveness, insisting it was his first kidnapping since leaving prison.

However, the “Aro” Yusuf mentioned has been described as the chief kingpin, masterminding the repeated raids.

“I worked for three years in the bush to buy my Bajaj, and now it has been stolen. How do I survive? Do they expect us to steal? We won’t steal. Let them return our means of livelihood,” a source whose motorcycle was stolen said.

“Aro came physically to Babanla and carted away tools of survival. He is meant to be a friend of the people; tell him to return our motorcycles,” he added.

Ifelodun LGA has endured repeated attacks in recent years. According to Sobi FM, the area became a kidnapping hotspot in 2023. On January 15 that year, four people, including a high chief, were abducted in the Afin community of Ile-Ire District.

A day later, gunmen attempted to kidnap a Point-of-Sale operator in Oke-Odo. The victim escaped, but a woman, known locally as Iya Niyi, was killed by a stray bullet. A kidnapper was later shot dead by hunters during the attack.

On June 8, 2025, Daily Post reported that two policemen were killed and two others abducted at a mining site in Oreke-Oke. The abductors demanded ₦1 billion in ransom.

Speaking with PIJAlance, the Kwara State Police Public Relations Officer, SCP Ejire Adeyemi Adetoun, said the command, under Commissioner of Police CP Adediran Ojo, has been collaborating with the military and vigilantes. She confirmed that about 30 suspects were arrested recently and remanded in custody.

“The Police Command has been working tirelessly to curb criminality, especially in Kwara South and North. In the past month, many suspects have been arrested and are now in correctional facilities. We will not rest until these criminal elements are stamped out,” she said.

She, however, denied knowledge of any suspect named Aro.

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