By Joshua Tosin Ogunsakin 
No fewer than 30 traditional rulers in southern Kwara State have reportedly abandoned their palaces following a sustained wave of kidnappings, killings and armed attacks across several communities.
According to a report by The Punch, the monarchs were forced to relocate to safer urban centres including Ilorin, Offa, Osogbo and Lagos due to persistent insecurity in their domains.
Community sources quoted by The Punch said the displaced traditional rulers are from several affected communities, including Omugo, Afin, Oreke, Oreke Oke-Igbo, Olohuntele, Alabe, Ganmu Ailehri, Ologanmo and Igbo Agbon.
Some of the monarchs have been away from their palaces for several months, while others have remained displaced for close to a year, creating what residents describe as a leadership vacuum in many communities.
A resident of Omugo, Wale Olasunkanmi, told The Punch that repeated attacks, including a major incident in March 2026, forced many families and leaders to flee their homes.
He said traditional rulers who once lived within their communities now only visit occasionally due to security risks, adding that the absence of leadership has worsened coordination at the local level.
Further findings by The Punch showed that Oreke and Oreke Oke-Igbo communities have been largely deserted since mid-2025 following repeated incursions by armed groups, including an attack on a mining site that left security operatives dead.
In Afin community, the Oniwo of Afin, Oba Simeon Olaonipekun, has reportedly not returned since he was abducted alongside his son in December 2025. He was released after ransom was paid, while his son was freed earlier after several weeks in captivity.
Across the affected areas, residents say farms have been abandoned, schools shut down and markets deserted as fear of attacks continues to spread.
The crisis escalated further in Olayinka community, where gunmen reportedly invaded a palace, abducting the monarch, his wife and another resident. Security operatives later arrested suspected illegal miners in connection with the incident, while ransom demands were said to have reached hundreds of millions of naira.
The Punch also reported repeated attacks on traditional rulers in Kwara South in recent years, including killings and abductions of monarchs in their palaces and farms.
Community leaders and security stakeholders quoted in the report described the development as alarming, warning that entire settlements risk becoming uninhabited if the situation persists.
Residents and local stakeholders have called for improved security presence, better intelligence coordination and stronger protection for rural communities, many of which remain vulnerable due to their remote locations.