Over twenty-two people are being held hostage by bandits in several communities in Kwara South.
The kidnappers are demanding more than N400 million, plus food and drinks, for the victims’ release.
The affected villages, Adanla, Isapa, Isanlu Isin, and Owa‑Onire, are not covered by the military posts set up by state and federal authorities. 
According to Vanguard, the bandits moved from places like Okeode, Babanla, and Eruku, where the government had built military bases, to areas with little or no security.
So far, nine people are still missing. They include the monarch of Afin in the Ile‑Ere district, Oba Simeon Olanipekun, and his son Olaolu, a youth corper who was taken in December.
Nine others were abducted in Isapa, two on the highway near Isanlu‑Isin earlier this year, and two more in Owa‑Onire in December.
Oba AbdulRahman Fabiyi of Owa‑Onire, who was kidnapped in 2024 and released after paying N5 million, said two more villagers captured in December are still with the bandits.
“We spoke with them yesterday. We paid N2 million and negotiated the rest down to N800,000 plus food and drinks. They want the money and supplies before releasing the two,” he told journalists on Friday.
The monarch urged the state government to quickly set up a police station in Owa‑Onire to stop the frequent kidnappings.
“They operate freely here because there is no security presence. Once we run out of ransom and supplies, they will come back and take more of our people. We need security now,” he said.
Oba Olanipekun, who survived a kidnapping, explained that the dense forests and many routes make it hard for security forces to catch the bandits.
“They have lived here for decades and know every path, which is why they warn anyone
