The abducted traditional ruler of Bayagan community in Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State, Alhaji Kamilu Salami, the Ojibara of Bayagan, has escaped from captivity alongside six other victims following a fierce gun battle between local vigilantes and the armed bandits holding them hostage.
Reliable sources in the community confirmed to Vanguard that the daring escape happened on Sunday evening when vigilante operatives launched a coordinated onslaught on the kidnappers’ hideout deep inside a forest near Eku Idaji, close to Igbaja.
“The vigilantes stormed the forest and engaged the bandits in a serious exchange of gunfire,” a community source disclosed.
“In the ensuing confusion, the Ojibara and six other captives managed to escape. Though they are yet to return to the village, the monarch has personally contacted some of us to confirm that he is free and safe.”
The bandits had on Sunday morning renewed their demand of N150 million ransom for the monarch’s release. During the call, they put the traditional ruler on the phone as proof of life.
In a voice laden with emotion, Alhaji Salami appealed to his subjects and family to do everything possible to secure his freedom, narrating how he was forced to ride on a motorcycle for over five hours through thick forest before reaching the kidnappers’ camp.
He also disclosed that several other persons from neighbouring communities were being held in the same location.
The Ojibara was abducted on Saturday morning at about 9:30 a.m. when gun-wielding bandits stormed his farm, fired several shots into the air and whisked him away on motorcycles.
Joy and relief swept through Bayagan, a major community in Ifelodun LGA, on Monday following the news of the monarch’s escape, although residents are still anxiously awaiting his physical return home.