After being held captive for 25 days, Kamilu Salami, an Ojibara from Bayagan Ile in Kwara State’s Ifelodun Local Government Area, was freed.

On November 29, 2025, b_ndits k_dnapped the monarch from his farm. 

On Tuesday evening, December 23, Oba Salami was released. 

Residents reportedly flocked to the palace to greet their monarch with joy.

The monarch was freed following the payment of a substantial sum of money to the bandits in two installments, according to community spokesperson Ayinla Lawal, who confirmed the news to Punch on Wednesday morning.

Additionally, he informed reporters that the community alone was able to provide the sum required by the bandits prior to the monarch’s release.

“I’m happy to inform you that our monarch has been released. He was released on Tuesday night. Our elders and members of the community have pleaded that we should not disclose the amount, so I won’t be able to tell you the amount, but it was huge. The local government and state government didn’t come to our rescue throughout our ordeal,” he said.

“Only members of the community contributed the amount, it was really tough for us in the community and that was why it took a longer time before our monarch was released. Above all, we thank Almighty God that he came back alive and we also thank the media and members of the community for their support.”

It would be recalled that Ayinla, in a statement released two weeks ago, said the bandits refused to release the monarch to the community after payment of N10 million earlier demanded by them. 

“We took the money to the place where they said we should drop it but they said we should pay them another N15 million which we struggled to raise in the community,” he stated.

Ayinla, who expressed confidence that the bandits won’t strike again in the community, said more vigilantes and hunters have been recruited to keep vigil on the community.

He also believed that with these developments, residents who fled the community would start returning to the community.

He also said that the monarch was taken to Ilorin, the state capital, on Wednesday morning for urgent medical attention.

The monarch’s immediate younger brother, simply identified as Aliyu, who drove the monarch to an undisclosed private hospital in Ilorin also confirmed the development to newsmen on Wednesday morning during an interview.

Aliyu, who the community sent to pay the ransom on the two installments said he was scared at one point to visit the bandits because of the fear of being kidnapped.

“Their location is very far, one can’t believe that the place is still part of Kwara State. You can’t even describe or locate the place because they move around the terrain, they don’t stay in a particular point. They used to speak with me on Kabiesi’s phone to inform me where I should meet them,” he explained. 

“I can’t even identify any of them because they’re always on hood. At a point, I was seriously afraid and I told the community that I couldn’t go again, but they told me that I’m the only person who can go, being the monarch’s immediate younger brother, so I was encouraged. Thank Almighty God, I was not detained by the bandits and our monarch is back alive.”