As Armed Robbers Cart Away Cartons Of Money
Two weeks after his abduction, the traditional ruler of Bayagan-Ile community, Oba Kamilu Salami, remains in the custody of his abductors, plunging his community into heightened fear and distress.

Salami was kidnapped on Saturday, November 29, 2025 while working on his farm in the Ifelodun Council of Kwara State. His continued captivity underscores the growing insecurity crisis in the country particularly the unchecked menace of banditry and kidnapping for ransom.

A spokesperson for the Bayagan-Ile Royal Family, Alhaji Rafiu Lawal, lamented that the family and community have been left to shoulder the burden of securing the monarch’s release, accusing both the state government and security agencies of failing to show meaningful engagement since the incident.
   
“Since the monarch was abducted, the entire community has been thrown into fear, tension, and emotional distress.
   
“The Nigeria Police Force has not made any official declaration, update, or public statement concerning the incident. It is only the family trying everything possible,” Lawal added.
   
He revealed that the kidnappers have been in contact, demanding an “overwhelming” ransom, forcing the family to resort to selling farmlands and personal belongings in a desperate bid to meet the demand.

However, the Spokesperson for the Kwara State Police Command, Toun Ejire-Adeyemi, insisted that the command was doing everything within its capacity to ensure the monarch’s safe return.

“The Kwara State Police Command is doing everything within its capacity to ensure that all abducted victims are released safely to their loved ones,” she stated.
   
Meanwhile, the community has issued a passionate appeal to Governor Abdul Rahman AbdulRazaq and security agencies to urgently intensify efforts.

“The community alone cannot shoulder this burden. We desperately need the intervention, support, and strategic involvement of the Kwara State government to complement our efforts,” Lawal stated, urging for decisive action before the situation deteriorates further.
   
The protracted captivity of a high-ranking traditional ruler, despite a reported ransom demand of N150 million, is viewed by security experts as a dangerous indicator of the audacity of criminal elements and the vulnerable state of traditional institutions in the face of widespread insecurity.
 
Similarly, a four-man armed robbery gang, on Friday, struck in Ilorin, Kwara State, shooting their way to snatch unspecified several millions of naira from an unsuspecting victim.
 
The armed gang operated on Muritala Muhammmed Way, directly opposite The Vanguard Newspaper office.
 
According to eyewitness accounts, the daredevil masked gunmen drove in an ash-colour Toyota corolla with faded plate number.
 
An eyewitness suspected the robbers must have trailed the victim to the spot where they eventually opened fire on him before carting away monies stuffed in four big cartons. 
 
It gathered that the robbers rained bullets on the lone victim’s grey-colour Toyota Sienna with registered number AA 693 GT from behind, deflating the two left tyres.

After being forced to stop, three masked men appeared while a man was sighted at the wheel ready for getaway.
The three men shot sporadically into the air to scare off intruders who were at that time, scampering for safety.

Stray bullets, however, caught the driver in his arm as well as pierced through the front and back windshields and the vehicle’s body.

“They packed the cartons full of money from the grey colour Toyota Sienna into their own Toyota corolla before driving away,” an eyewitness recalled.

Another eyewitness lamented that while it lasted, no policeman was seen neither during the operation, nor immediately after.

When contacted, the Police image maker, SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi did not pick her call for comment.
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