By Ayomide Otitoju
Fear and grief have engulfed Okoloke community in Yagba West Local Government Area of Kogi State following a deadly attack by gunmen suspected to be bandits, who killed three individuals and continue to hold a traditional ruler hostage.
The victims—two local vigilantes and a telecommunications engineer—were ambushed and fatally shot on Saturday while inspecting a telecom mast in the area. The vigilantes were providing security for the engineer at the time of the attack.
The gunmen had earlier kidnapped Pa Dada James Ogunyanda, a nonagenarian monarch and graded chief in the area, from his palace in the early hours of Thursday. Initially demanding a ransom of ₦100 million, the abductors reportedly reduced the amount to ₦12 million after being informed of the monarch’s deteriorating health.
“They told us to deliver his medication to a specific drop-off point,” a community source said. “But before we could act, they struck again and killed three innocent people.”
Community leader Olusegun Iselaye expressed outrage on Facebook, blaming government inaction for the spiraling insecurity.
“This senseless violence is unacceptable. Despite efforts by Senator Karimi and others at the National Assembly, there’s been no visible police presence. This is a clear failure of security apparatus,” he wrote.
Iselaye further criticized the military’s deployment, alleging that instead of bringing stability, soldiers have been involved in extortion and harassment of residents.
Chairman of Yagba West LGA, Tosin Olokun, has since visited the affected community and assured residents that efforts were underway to rescue the abducted monarch and restore security. However, the Kogi State Police Command has yet to issue a formal statement as of press time.
