Five days in captivity

• How trauma killed Kwara monarch after being kidnapped

From Taiwo Ogunniyi, Ilorin

For  five agonising days, the people of Igbesi, in Isin Local Government, Kwara State, lived in fear and uncertainty after gunmen invaded the community and abducted their traditional ruler, Oba Moses Oyinloye Iwedunmoye I, the Onigbesi of Igbesiland.

What began as another frightening episode of kidnapping in the Kwara South community later turned into a tragedy that left residents, traditional institutions and security personnel mourning.

The monarch, who was abducted from his community in the night of August 22, 2026, was eventually rescued by security operatives five days later. But the relief that greeted his freedom was short-lived.

Oba Oyinloye died days after his rescue following a brief illness, with members of his community and a local security group suggesting that the physical and psychological trauma he endured in captivity may have contributed to his death.

The incident has since renewed concerns over the human cost of kidnapping and banditry in parts of Kwara State, particularly in communities where residents continue to live with the fear of attacks and abductions.

The ordeal began around 11 p.m. on Saturday, August 22, when gunmen stormed Igbesi, a community within Oke-Onigbin in Isin Local Government Area.

Initial reports indicated that the attackers abducted the monarch and some other residents, taking their victims to an unknown destination.

The development sent shock waves through Igbesi and neighbouring communities, as the whereabouts and condition of the traditional ruler remained unknown.

The Kwara State Commissioner of Police, CP Adekimi Ojo, later confirmed the monarch’s abduction but clarified that he was the only person taken during the invasion.

As security agencies intensified efforts to locate him, anxiety grew among members of the community and the wider Igbomina region.

Five days after his abduction, however, hope returned when police operatives from the Oro Division, supported by members of a local vigilance group, located the kidnappers’ hideout and rescued the monarch in the Kwara South axis.

Two other kidnap victims were also reportedly freed during the operation.

Confirming the rescue, CP Ojo said the traditional ruler had been successfully recovered and taken to a hospital in Oro, Irepodun Local Government Area, for medical attention.

“Yes, the Onigbesi has been rescued by policemen from the kidnappers’ hideout. He’s receiving treatment at a hospital in Oro. This is all I can tell you for now,” the police commissioner said.

For the people of Igbesi, the rescue was initially seen as the end of a nightmare that had lasted five days.

But the monarch’s condition reportedly remained fragile.

His son, Prince Olasunkanmi, later confirmed that the traditional ruler died in the early hours of a Saturday after a brief illness.

“Yes, the news is true. He died after a brief illness following his release. We took him to the hospital, hoping he would survive, but he died there very early this morning,” he said.

The death transformed the relief of the rescue into mourning, with community leaders raising questions about the toll the abduction may have taken on the monarch.

Elder Olaitan Oyin Zubair, coordinator of the Kwara South Joint Security Watch, described the death as a major loss to Igbesi and the wider Isin community.

“With deep sorrow, we received the news of the passing of Oba Onigbesi of Igbesi. We have lost a committed son of Igbesi and a revered monarch,” Zubair said.

According to him, members of the security team who participated in the rescue had hoped the monarch would recover after his release.

“It is indeed saddening that despite our efforts to save his life, it ended in futility,” he said.

Zubair said the monarch appeared extremely weak when he was rescued, prompting the security team to suspect that the trauma of his captivity might have contributed to his death.

“We strongly suspect that the late Oba Oyinloye died from the trauma he suffered during his abduction. As a matter of fact, he looked too feeble after the rescue. We had wished and prayed that he would be alive,” he said.

For the security team, however, the fact that the monarch was rescued before his death provided a measure of consolation.

“Our only solace is that he was rescued, and that he passed on in the hands of his loved ones,” Zubair added.

The death also drew a strong reaction from the Igbomina Elders Council, which described it as another painful and avoidable loss arising from the activities of kidnappers and bandits in the region.

In a statement signed by its Secretary, Chief Layi Ogundele, the council, led by Chief Solo Olaoye, commiserated with the royal family, the Igbesi community, the Isin Traditional Council and the people of Isin Local Government Area.

The elders commended the security personnel who took part in the rescue operation but called for stronger and sustained measures by governments at all levels to tackle insecurity in Igbomina land.

“This is another avoidable death, too many in Igbomina land. While we commend our security personnel’s efforts, we urge the governments at all levels to continue to confront this hydra-headed monster, kidnapping and banditry in Igbomina land, until sanity returns to our land,” the council said.

The monarch’s death has therefore left behind a painful question for communities in the area: what happens when victims survive captivity but return home carrying wounds that may not always be visible?

For Igbesi, the answer has come in the form of the loss of a traditional ruler who survived the initial ordeal of abduction but died shortly after gaining his freedom.

Hon. Ogundele Joseph Olabisi, popularly known as Bisi Kristien, also mourned the monarch, describing his death as an irreparable loss to the royal family, Igbesi community, Isin Traditional Council and the people of Isin.

As condolences continue to pour in, residents and community leaders are calling for prayers for the repose of Oba Oyinloye’s soul and strength for his family and the people of Igbesi and Isin to bear the loss.

The episode has also added a deeply human dimension to the broader security challenge confronting communities in parts of Kwara: a monarch was taken from his people, rescued alive after five days, but could not ultimately return to the life he had known.