Suspected bandits have attacked the palace of a traditional ruler in Olayinka community, Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State, abducting the monarch in the early hours of Saturday.
Reports on the incident were conflicting. While some community sources claimed that the monarch’s wife and another person were also kidnapped, the police said only the traditional ruler was taken.
The Kwara State Police Commissioner, Adekimi Ojo, confirmed that only the monarch was abducted. He also revealed that the attackers stole a large sum of money from the palace.
According to him, the monarch had brought the money home on Friday before the attack occurred in the early hours of Saturday.
The gunmen reportedly stormed the palace around 1:40 a.m., firing shots into the air before taking the monarch away.
The abducted traditional ruler was said to have been recently elevated and officially installed by the state government earlier this year, making the incident particularly shocking to residents.
This incident marks the third time within about a year that a traditional ruler has been kidnapped in Kwara South.
