A local vigilante leader has narrated how armed bandits invaded the palace of the Elerin of Adanla Irese, Oba David Adedumoye, in Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State, abducting seven members of the royal family during a daring evening raid.
The incident occurred at about 6.30 pm on Friday, December 26, 2025, when over 10 armed men reportedly walked into Adanla community and proceeded straight to the monarch’s palace without using any vehicle.
According to the vigilante leader, the assailants operated for nearly one hour without resistance, ransacking the palace and carting away mobile phones, food items and other valuables. He said there was no security presence at the palace at the time of the attack.
Seven royal family members were abducted, while two others sustained injuries. Their whereabouts remain unknown, with the bandits reportedly demanding a ransom of N300m, which was communicated directly to the monarch.
The vigilante leader disclosed that Oba Adedumoye was not in the palace during the attack, having travelled to Ilorin earlier in the day. He added that the bandits specifically asked for the king and his wife, raising suspicion of insider involvement.
Security operatives and local vigilantes later arrived at the scene, but the attackers had fled. Efforts to track them have so far proved unsuccessful.
The vigilante leader called for increased collaboration between security agencies and local vigilantes, stressing that the dry season presents an opportunity to flush bandits from forest hideouts through coordinated patrols and aerial surveillance.
