Suspected bandits early Saturday attacked the palace of a traditional ruler in the Olayinka community, Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State, and abducted the monarch, Oba Salman Olatunji Aweda.
While reports suggest that the wife of the traditional ruler and one other person were abducted, the Kwara State police command said that only the monarch was kidnapped.
The Kwara State Commissioner of Police, Adekimi Ojo, said the bandits also carted away a large sum of money from the palace.
Ojo said that the traditional ruler had brought home the money on Friday, while the heavily armed attackers stormed the palace early Saturday.
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According to sources in the community, the armed assailants stormed the palace at about 1:40 am, firing sporadically before whisking away the royal father to an unknown destination.
“Yes. At Olayinka at about 1 am. His wife and one other person were also abducted,” one of the sources said.
“The bandits invaded the palace around 1:40 a.m. on Saturday. They came heavily armed and took the monarch away without resistance because everyone was terrified.”
The abducted monarch was said to have been elevated and officially installed by the Kwara State government earlier this year, making the incident even more shocking to residents.
This latest abduction marks the third case of a traditional ruler being kidnapped in Kwara South within a year.
In 2025, two monarchs in the region were abducted by suspected bandits and were only released after ransom payments were made.