Bandits kidnap Kwara monarch, use victim’s TikTok account to demand ₦20m ransom

Armed bandits have kidnapped the Kabiyesi Onigbesi of Igbesi Land, Oba Moses Oyinloye Iwedunmoye I, storming Oke-Onigbin town in Kwara State’s Isin Local Government Area in a coordinated Saturday attack, the Nigerian Tribune reported. The monarch was seized and taken to an unknown location as gunmen launched what sources described as a “fierce assault” on the community, with residents fleeing in panic.

Kwara State Police Commissioner Ojo Adekimi confirmed the monarch’s abduction, stating that security teams have been deployed and are actively working to secure his release. The Commissioner denied reports of wider casualties during the attack.

The incident is the latest in a disturbing wave of banditry sweeping Kwara South. On Friday night, August 21, suspected bandits kidnapped Iya Ayoka, first wife of the Baale of Dabu community in neighbouring Ifelodun Local Government Area, further stoking fear across the region.

Most alarming, however, is the case of 23-year-old Babatunde Fasilat, abducted July 26 from Wande community after gunmen shot her father during a home invasion, according to SaharaReporters. Her abductors are now actively using her TikTok account to publish posts and communicate ransom demands — insisting on ₦20 million before her release. The brazen use of social media by kidnappers marks a chilling new dimension to Nigeria’s banditry crisis.

Residents across Kwara South are demanding urgent government intervention as communities across the state brace against what many now describe as a region spiralling beyond security control.