Terrorists have kidnapped two senior community chiefs in Oreke, Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State, deepening fear in a town already hit by repeated attacks. The victims, Chief Yahaya Majeobaje Owolabi and the Babaloja, Yahaya Adeniyi, were seized on Friday while travelling to Baba-nla for a meeting on security with the Babanla monarch.
Residents say the abduction came days after they returned to town based on assurances from Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq that Oreke was safe. Many have now fled again.
A video seen by SaharaReporters shows residents expressing shock that the chiefs were kidnapped despite the governor’s appeal for them to come home. One resident said, “You advised us to return after the terrorist attacks. We came back, but as you can see, the town is empty.” He explained that elders had only returned earlier in the week and were planning how to secure help from the military when the attack happened.
Residents say the town has no real security presence. They claim police officers are no longer stationed in Oreke and that soldiers only patrol Baba-nla without entering the forest, where attackers are believed to hide. One man said, “The government claims to have bombed the terrorists, but we see no evidence.”
The community has faced months of attacks, with more than 20 people reportedly kidnapped. Families say they have paid ransoms to free victims, including one case in which N35 million was paid. Farmers say they no longer go to their fields, and many residents now sleep outside the town.
A resident who wore a red shirt in the video said he had spent “three months and a week” in captivity before his release. He said people had lost hope, adding that the Naibi Imam of Oreke was among those earlier abducted. “There is no single security presence in Oreke,” he said. “Terrorists continue to target us.”
The community says the kidnapping of the Babaloja and the Majekobaje marks a dangerous escalation. Hunters who attempted to track the kidnappers returned without success. Residents are calling on President Bola Tinubu, the state government, and the local government chairman to intervene, saying the town “is under siege” and cannot protect itself.
