Bandits kidnap the traditional ruler of Igbesi and the Baale of Dabu's wife in Kwara South, while separately using a 23-year-old kidnap victim's TikTok account to demand ₦20 million ransom.
Ilorin, Kwara State — August 25, 2026
A fresh wave of bandit attacks has swept through Kwara South Senatorial District over the past week, claiming a traditional ruler and a community head's wife among its victims, while a separate, unresolved kidnapping case has drawn attention for a disturbing new tactic: abductors using a captive's own TikTok account to demand ransom.
Armed bandits invaded Igbesi community, within Oke-Onigbin town in Isin Local Government Area, at around 11 p.m. on Saturday, August 22, abducting the traditional ruler, Oba Moses Oyinloye Iwedunmoye I, the Onigbesi of Igbesi Land, along with an unconfirmed number of other residents. Kwara State Commissioner of Police, Ojo Adekimi, confirmed the monarch's abduction but said no other person was taken, a claim that conflicts with accounts from palace and community sources describing additional victims. As of this report, the monarch's whereabouts remain unknown, though one account has cited a ransom demand of ₦20 million tied to his release.
Just one night before the Igbesi attack, on Friday, August 21, bandits stormed Dabu community in neighbouring Ifelodun Local Government Area and abducted Iya Ayoka, the first wife of the town's Baale (community head).
The Kwara South Development Forum (KSDF), a local advocacy group, said the abduction has deepened fear across Dabu and surrounding communities, and issued a statement flatly rejecting any ransom payment: "We are not ready to pay a dime. The government needs to bring her back to us."
In its statement, KSDF also drew renewed attention to a separate, unresolved case: the July 15 abduction of 23-year-old Babatunde Fasilat from Wande community, also in Ifelodun LGA. According to the group, four bandits invaded her home and shot her father, the bullet passing through his body, as he tried to defend her, before dragging Fasilat from her room.
Weeks later, her captors are reportedly still demanding ₦20 million for her release, using her own TikTok account to post messages and communicate with the public in an apparent effort to pressure her family.
KSDF used the moment to accuse the Kwara State Government of misrepresenting the security situation in Kwara South, alleging officials have repeatedly assured residents the region is secure despite what it described as persistent attacks, kidnappings, and displacement.
The group said some residents who had previously fled their communities are gradually returning, even as fresh attacks continue, and separately accused Ifelodun Local Government authorities of an inadequate response to repeated complaints.
The wave of abductions comes even as additional federal military resources are being deployed to Kwara State; Premium Times reported on August 11 that five new army battalions had been approved for the state.
The overlapping cases, a monarch, a community head's wife, and a young woman held for over a month with her stolen social media presence turned into a ransom tool, illustrate the range of tactics bandits are now using across Kwara South, and add urgency to long-standing local demands for a more decisive security response.
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