The abducted monarch, the Ojibara of Bayagan in Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State, Alhaji Kamilu Salami, and six others have escaped from the den of bandits, Vanguard reports.
According to credible community sources, the monarch and the other abductees from a neighbouring community escaped after vigilante operatives launched a coordinated and fierce offensive deep inside the forest.
One of the sources said the vigilantes, who had been combing the forest in large numbers, engaged the bandits in a gun battle around the Eku Idaji area, close to Igbaja, forcing the criminals to flee and enabling the captives to break free.
“Although the Baale and the six other escapees have not yet returned to the community, they have contacted us to confirm what happened,” the source added.
Earlier on Sunday morning, the bandits had called the community to demand N150 million as ransom for the monarch’s release.
The bandits also compelled the monarch to speak with his people to confirm his captivity. In the recorded conversation, the monarch lamented his ordeal and urged the community to negotiate for his freedom.
He narrated that he was taken on a motorcycle through thick forest paths for over five hours before reaching the bandits’ base, where communication with the community was made.
He also revealed that several other persons from a neighbouring community had been abducted by the same gang during his ordeal.
Bayagan, a large community in the Ifelodun LGA, has been on edge since the monarch was kidnapped around 9:30 a.m. on Saturday by heavily armed bandits wielding AK-47 rifles.