Terror Strikes Again In Kwara: Terrorists Abduct Two Community Chiefs Despite Governor’s Assurances

Ilorin, Kwara State- Terrorists suspected to be fulani herders have abducted two prominent community chiefs in Oreke, Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State, leaving residents in fear and condemning what they describe as government inaction despite repeated assurances of security.

The victims, Chief Yahaya Majeobaje Owolabi and Baba Oja, Yahaya Adeniyi, were reportedly on their way to Baba-nla on Friday to meet with the Babanla monarch and discuss pressing security concerns in their community when they were kidnapped.

The abduction has thrown Oreke, a community still recovering from previous terrorist attacks, into renewed panic.

In a video obtained by Afrika Eyes , a few residents who had returned to Oreke after being persuaded by Governor AbdulRahman to come back home were seen narrating their ordeal.

They explained that the governor had assured them that the community was secure, encouraging residents to resume their lives.

However, the abduction of the chiefs immediately after their return has left many questioning the credibility of these government promises.

“Governor AbdulRahman, we greet you. Chairman of Ifelodun Local Government, Femi Yusuf, we greet you too. You advised us to return to our town after the terrorist attacks. Now we are back in Oreke, but the town is largely empty,” a resident explained.

“Although some of us returned two weeks ago, most of our elders only came back on Tuesday. We went to meet with the monarch to discuss security measures, but on our way, Chief Yahaya Majeobaje Owolabi and Baba Oja, Yahaya Adeniyi, were kidnapped.”

The residents accused the government of failing to provide adequate security on the ground. They noted that while a police division exists in Oreke, no officers are stationed there.

Soldiers deployed to nearby communities such as Baba-nla and Oke Ode reportedly only patrol briefly before leaving, failing to enter the bush where kidnappers are believed to be hiding.

‘The Kwara State Government told us to return to our town, but now that we are back, terrorists are kidnapping us. They ambush us on the road. One by one, we are being taken.

“They don’t let us rest. The government claims it has bombed the terrorists, but we see no evidence. We have a police division here, but no officers are stationed there anymore. There are soldiers in Baba-nla, but they never stay in Oreke; they just patrol and leave,” a local elder said.

Another aggrieved man stated, “They don’t go into the bush where the kidnappers are hiding. As you can see, we can’t go anywhere. Yesterday, we went into the bush to search for our fathers who were kidnapped, but we could not find them.

“Our local hunters have been killed, and we’ve been paying ransom to terrorists just to survive.

“We are calling on Governor AbdulRahman to come to our aid. We appeal to President Tinubu and our Local Government Chairman to intervene.

“What is happening to us is unfair. When it’s election time, you know how to reach out to us.”

One of us wearing a red shirt shared how he was kidnapped and spent three months and one week in captivity.

“We are tired. I was kidnapped and spent three months and a week with the kidnappers before I was released. Please help us. There is no one left in our community. People have fled for safety because of the terrorism and kidnappings.

“More than 20 people from Oreke have been kidnapped, and we have been paying ransom to secure their release. One of our elders paid N35 million for his freedom.

“They abducted the Naibi Imam of Oreke, yet the government is still asking us to return to the community. There are no soldiers here. They only deployed soldiers to Baba-nla and Oke Ode. There is no single security presence in Oreke, and terrorists continue to target us.

“On November 14, they kidnapped two of our high chiefs. What crime have we committed? We are pleading with the government to come to our aid. We can’t go to our farms. We can’t sleep in our homes.

“They have kidnapped the Babaloja of Oreke and the Majekobaje of Oreke. Our hunters went searching but could not find them,” he said.