Over a Month and a Half After Abduction in Kwara, Oba Aweda of Olayinka Community Still in Bandit Captivity

By:Bodunrin Kayode

Over a month and a half after the traditional ruler of Olayinka community of Kwara state Oba Salman Aweda was abducted by dangerously armed bandits on the 18th of April this year, the security agencies are yet to bring him back home.

The attackers had stormed the palace of the monarch on that fateful morning of the 18th of April at about 1.40 am grabbing him, his wife and brother with the intention of dragging them into the bowels of the savannah.

The 10 heavily armed criminals surrounded the Palace in a commando styled attack firing shots at random to render messages of resistance to nearby hunters and picked the three of them out of the palace with intention to make money as they are known for.

Days after the traditional ruler was abducted from his palace by the bandits who have kept them in the bush in captivity a bounty of N400m was placed on his head.

On that fateful dark morning of the abduction of the monarch, his senior brother who is a retired military personnel refused to follow them into the savannah barefooted as they demanded so they had no choice but to leave him along their trail tied to a tree at the mercy of the pitch darkness of the morning.

However, reliable sources close to the monarch equally hinted that Kabiyesi’s wife who is also the Olori of the palace was equally left behind by the bandits out of providence.

“They mercilessly beat up the Monarch’s brother before tying him to a tree where he survived and was actually rescued by the villagers at about first light that fateful morning.” Said the source.

Meanwhile, the release of the monarch is actually tied to the payment of the 400 million naira demanded or a reciprocate commando styled strike into the savannah by Nigerian security forces to liberate Oba Aweda who is the only one they took away from Olayinka almost two months ago.

Igbomina/Kwara South Delegation Meets IGP in Abuja on Security Solutions

Meanwhile, a powerful delegation of Igbomina sons and daughters, alongside stakeholders from Kwara South senatorial zone, recently visited the Nigeria Police Force Headquarters, Abuja, to register their concerns and to find lasting solutions to the rising criminality in the North and South senatorial zones of kwara state.

During the strategic engagement, frank discussions were held with the Inspector General of Police, Olayinka Disu, and agreements were reached on both sides on short and long-term solutions to minimize or end completely banditry and insecurity in Kwara.

Members of the high-powered engagement included DIG Umar Nadada, CP Martins Nwogoh in charge of Air-wing Operations, Chueze, a drone expert, and other senior management staff of the Police.

Others included Elder Olaitan Oyin-Zubair, Dr. Dele Gege, seasoned administrator and Acting Chairman of Omo Ibile Igbomina, Abuja Branch; Dr. Femi Atoyebi, former Director, NCC; and Hajia Risikat Lawal, former Council Boss, respectively.

Earlier, Elder Olaitan Oyin-Zubair commended the Police Management for caring for the security needs of Igbominaland and Kwara South citizens as a whole.

He declared that the Police had been more effective and on ground to fight banditry activities and other forms of criminalities, both now and before.

Elder Oyin-Zubair however appealed to the Management to do more in the areas of bandit attacks, where these notorious criminals have been using Igbominaland and Kwara-Ekiti axis as land mines to make their money.

He also went further to reveal the situation where ransoms were taken by some of the bandits, yet they refused to release the abductees, citing examples of Omugo 8 Abductees after payments of N20m, bags of rice, chicken, palm oil, motorcycles etc.

Elder Olaitan Oyin-Zubair, who coordinates the Joint Security Watch in Kwara South, explained that the mission of the team was to appreciate the efforts of the Police Management under IGP Disu as well as to assure the Police of continued support of the people of Igbomina, Ibolo and Ekiti of Kwara South.

“Whatever efforts we have made or will make will be to complement the Kwara State Government under Mallam Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, who is the Governor of Kwara State.

“As always, IGP Disu received us warmly truly at home with his Kwara brothers and sisters. His commitment to securing our communities was clear and reassuring.

“We are confident that the outcome of this meeting will translate to immediate action on the ground, including tactical deployments and technology-driven interventions for Igbominaland and Kwara South.

“We will keep our people updated as implementation begins. Visits continues to other security agencies.” Said Elder Oyin-Zubair.

The Nigerian government has been fighting a long battle with bandits and insurgents and have been relatively unable to end their atrocities which started in the northern part of the country before 2009 and now is stretching to the southern axis.

Calls for the increase of security personnel in the uniformed services which is grossly inadequate for over 200m people has equally fallen into deaf ears rendering residents helpless in the face of this lingering torment by cheap criminals in our bushes.

Desperate calls by concerned Nigerians for the speedy establishment of state police which would be populated by residents who know their terrains to fight back has also not been responded to by the National Assembly expected to tinker with the Constitution for its existence.

Nigeria with a population of almost 250 people is expected to have nothing less than a million federal and State police personnel manning the entire length and breath of our free for all borders where these criminals come in and go out with impunity.

Over a Month and a Half After Abduction in Kwara, Oba Aweda of Olayinka Community Still in Bandit Captivity