The Ojibara of Bayagan, Alhaji Kamilu Salami, and six other abducted persons have regained their freedom after escaping from the custody of bandits in Kwara State.
According to reliable community sources, the traditional ruler and the other captives managed to flee after vigilante operatives launched a coordinated and fierce attack on the kidnappers deep inside the forests.
“The vigilantes confronted the bandits around the Eku Idaji axis, close to Igbaja, and engaged them in a heavy gun battle,” one source said.
“Although the Baale and the six others have yet to physically return to the community, they have contacted residents to confirm their escape.”
The bandits had earlier demanded ₦150 million from the community as ransom for the monarch’s release.
Sources confirmed that in the early hours of Sunday, the kidnappers called the community again to reinforce their demand.
They reportedly compelled the monarch to speak during the call to convince his people that he was still alive and in captivity.
In a distressed tone, the Ojibara appealed to his community to negotiate for his release, narrating how he was transported for over five hours on a motorcycle through dense forest to the camp where they were being held.
He also disclosed that several other residents from a neighbouring community were abducted during his capture.
Bayagan, a large community in the Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State, has been tense since the monarch was kidnapped by armed men who invaded his farm on Saturday wielding AK-47 rifles.
Efforts to obtain a reaction from the police on the latest development were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.
