The Aafin community in the Ile Ere district of the Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State, was thrown into fear after suspected terrorists reportedly abducted a traditional ruler, Oba Simeon Olaonipekun, on Wednesday.

It was gathered that Mr Olaonipekun was abducted along with one of his sons, Olaolu, during the attack which occurred around 8:00pm at his palace 

Multiple reports said the attack was carried out by about eight armed men who stormed the palace, shooting indiscriminately as they forced their way into the building.

A resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed the development, saying the suspected terrorists appeared  to have targeted the traditional ruler.

“The assailants came around 8pm and everyone began to run helter-skelter,” the resident said. “We started running for safety when we realised that they headed to the palace.”

The resident added that the attackers shot Mr Olaonipekun’s wife, Felicia Olaonipekun, in her arm and seized Olaolu who was currently undergoing the one-year mandatory National Youth Service Corps programme.

The state police spokesperson, SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, did not immediately respond to a request seeking comment on the development.

The incident happened amid repeated assurances by the Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrasaq-led administration to crush terrorists and ensure security of lives and property in the state.

Last week, Mr Abdulrazaq attended the passing out parade of about a thousand forest guards deployed to curtail the activities of terrorists, kidnappers and illegal miners, among others.

“Today opens a new page in our campaign against all forms of terrorism, kidnapping, and opportunist attacks on our people by bad faith actors who exploit our vast territories for evil purposes. The enlistment of armed forest guards to complement the patriotic efforts of our security forces is a game changer in this campaign. It shows very clearly that the government is committed to the mission of ridding our country of all forms of terrorism, banditry, and kidnappings,” the governor said at the event held in Ilorin, the state capital.