No fewer than 30 traditional rulers across the southern part of Kwara State have abandoned their palaces following kidnappings, killings and violent attacks, leaving many communities without leadership.
Findings indicate that many of the affected monarchs have relocated to safer urban centres such as Ilorin, Osogbo, Offa and Lagos, while others have remained in exile for months , some for nearly a year as insecurity increases on the region.
Communities including Omugo, Afin, Oreke, Oreke Oke-Igbo, Olohuntele, Alabe, Ganmu Ailehri, Ologanmo and Igbo Agbon, where repeatedly attacked, forcing both residents and traditional rulers to flee.
A resident of Omugo, Wale Olasunkanmi, said the area’s monarch fled over fears of abduction, noting that rulers now only make brief, discreet visits for meetings or special occasions before returning to safer locations.
He said March 22, 2026 church attack, in which about eight people were abducted, triggered mass displacement.
Although security presence has slightly improved in recent weeks, residents say the prolonged absence of traditional rulers has created a dangerous leadership vacuum, affecting recovery efforts and weakening community confidence.
Investigations further revealed that Oreke and Oreke Oke-Igbo have remained largely deserted since June 2025 following repeated bandit incursions. The situation deteriorated after a June 4, 2025 attack on a marble mining site where two police officers were killed, sparking widespread panic.
A palace worker, Samuel Afolayan, said what began as petty theft of food and livestock quickly escalated into kidnappings and killings, leaving the affected communities deserted and economically paralysed.
In Afin, the monarch, Oba Simeon Olaonipekun, has not returned since he and his son were abducted in December 2025. Though both were eventually freed after ransom payments reportedly exceeding N30 million, sources say the monarch is still undergoing medical treatment due to trauma.
The violence has crippled daily life across the region, farms have been abandoned, schools shut, and markets deserted as residents flee to safer areas.
Tensions escalated further in Olayinka community in Ifelodun Local Government Area, where gunmen stormed the palace of Oba Salman Olátúnjí Aweda in the early hours of Saturday, abducting him, his wife and another resident. Sources said the attackers demanded a ransom of about N400 million.
Residents described the assault as highly coordinated, suggesting prior intelligence about palace activities. In the aftermath, the community has been largely deserted as villagers fled their. Communities.
Beyond Olayinka, a disturbing pattern of targeted attacks on traditional rulers has emerged across Kwara South. In September 2025, the Baale of Ogbayo in Oke-Ode was killed in his palace, while in February 2024, the Olukoro of Koro-Ekiti, Oba Olusegun Aremu-Cole, was murdered, with his wife and another victim abducted.
Similarly, the Ojibara of Bayagan-Ile, Oba Kamilu Salami, was abducted in November 2025 and released after 25 days in captivity. Ransom demands in such cases have ranged from N40 million to as high as N400 million, placing immense strain on victims and their families.
Security experts warn that the sustained targeting of monarchs signals a deeper collapse of traditional authority structures. The Coordinator of the Joint Security Watch in Kwara South, Olaitan Oyin-Zubair, lamented that early warnings about the gradual abandonment of rural communities were ignored until the situation reached crisis point.
According to him, more than 28 communities in Ifelodun alone have been deserted, turning once-thriving settlements into ghost towns and worsening food insecurity as farmlands lie fallow.
Residents who fled recount devastating personal losses. A trader, Bose Adeyemi, said she has been forced to abandon her yam business due to safety concerns, while a retired civil servant, Janet Adebisi, disclosed that she left behind her farming investments to prioritise her safety.
The crisis has also drawn criticism of the Kwara State Traditional Council, with stakeholders questioning its response. While palace sources insist engagements with government and security agencies are ongoing, critics argue that visible action remains inadequate.
Some socio-political voices attribute the insecurity to illegal mining activities and weakened grassroots security systems,
