The kidnappers of the Kwara State traditional ruler, the Oniwo of Aafin, Oba Simeon Olaonipekun, his son, Olaolu, and other abducted villagers have demanded a ransom of N450 million for their release.
A palace source (names withheld) made this known to our reporter on the phone on Friday.
Sources also confirmed that the abductors demanded N150 million for the monarch and his son, who is a member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
According to a source, an additional N300 million ransom was demanded for the release of the other eight residents abducted in Adanla-Irese, a suburb of Igbaja in Ifelodun Local Government Area of the state.
The Coordinator of the Kwara South Joint Community Security Watch Network, Elder Olaitan Oyin-Zubair, confirmed that negotiations had begun for the release of the abductees.
“Only two days ago, the kidnappers demanded N300 million for the release of the Adanla abductees. Today, they demanded N150 million for the monarch and his son,” he said.
Recall that the monarch was abducted on Wednesday night, when gunmen reportedly stormed his palace in Aafin community, Ile-Ire district of Ifelodun LGA, at about 8 pm.
Eyewitnesses said that about eight armed men invaded the palace, firing sporadically and forcing entry into the palace.
“They broke down the doors with their guns and demanded to see the monarch and his wife,” a family source said.
During the attack, the monarch’s wife, Felicia Olaonipekun, was shot in the arm and later taken to a hospital for treatment.
The attackers subsequently abducted the monarch and his son, while the local vigilante group was overwhelmed.
According to sources, only two vigilante members were on duty at the time of the attack and were unable to confront the heavily armed assailants.
In a related incident, suspected bandits earlier on Boxing Day invaded Adanla community, abducting eight residents in a late evening raid.
Residents said the attackers stormed the agrarian community around 7 p.m., firing sporadically as they moved from house to house, forcing residents to comply.
As of press time, the Kwara State Police Command had yet to issue an official statement on the ransom demanded.
