The abducted monarch of the Bayagan community in Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State, Kamilu Salami, the Ojibara of Bayagan, has escaped from the custody of armed bandits alongside six other captives, Vanguard has reliably gathered.

Community sources who spoke with Vanguard said the escape happened on Sunday evening, after a crack team of local vigilantes launched a daring offensive inside a forest hideout where the victims were being kept.

A source said the vigilante group tracked the bandits down to the thick of the forest near the Eku Idaji corridor.

“The vigilante team launched attack on the bandits in the forest and engaged them in fierce battle around the Eku Idaji area, close to Igbaja,” the source said, adding that the victims had so far made contact by phone.

He further stated, “Although the Baale and the six others have not yet returned to community, they contacted us to confirm what happened.”

News of the monarch’s freedom came hours after the kidnappers demanded ₦150 million to secure his release, placing a fresh call to the community at dawn on Sunday.

During the call, the bandits allowed the Ojibara to speak as evidence that he was still in their custody.

Before the escape, Salami, in a shaking but emotional voice, pleaded with his people to negotiate for his safe return.

In his message to worried community members before local fighters struck, the monarch narrated the gruelling journey that followed his abduction.

He said he was taken for over five hours on a motorcycle, riding through dense forest until he arrived at the kidnappers’ den.

He also disclosed that residents from nearby communities were abducted around the same time, warning of a wider kidnap cycle across neighbouring settlements.

The bandits stormed the monarch’s farm on Saturday around 9:30 a.m., shooting into the air before whisking him away from his crops and workers.

The Bayagan community, a significant settlement in Ifelodun LGA, was thrown into relief after learning of their king’s escape.