Man Says Owa-Onire Community Turned Ghost Town, As Bandit Fears Emptied Kwara Villages

Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.

OWA-ONIRE, Nigeria – A viral video circulating on Thursday, June 18, 2026, has captured the haunting silence of Owa-Onire, a once-thriving community in Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State, now reduced to a ghost town after persistent attacks and kidnappings forced virtually all residents to flee their ancestral homes. When security personnel from the police drone unit, Mobile Police Force, and the Anti-Kidnapping Squad rolled into the community during a coordinated operation this week, they found no markets, no voices, no children — just empty compounds, a locked mosque, a silent church, and one man standing alone.

The lone inhabitant, identified simply as Lekan, a prince of Owa-Onire, told the visiting security team that he had remained behind while other residents relocated to safer areas following years of attacks and kidnappings. The team leader handed him ₦10,000 to buy foodstuffs from nearby Oke‑Onigbin, the nearest place that still has a market. Lekan said he survives mainly through farming, as there is no longer any commercial activity within the community. He also informed security operatives that unidentified persons entered the community on the night of Tuesday, June 16, but he could not ascertain who they were or what their mission was.

According to the Coordinator of the Joint Security Watch Kwara South, Elder Olaitan Oyin-Zubair, security operatives were met with silence upon arrival. “The team found only one resident in the entire community,” Oyin-Zubair said. He described the situation as unacceptable, noting that senior security officers who participated in the operation expressed deep concern over the abandonment of an entire community and pledged to push for sustained security deployments and concrete measures to allow displaced residents to return home without fear.

The crisis in Owa-Onire is not an isolated case. By the end of 2025, at least 28 communities in Ifelodun LGA alone had been deserted due to persistent insecurity. The same fate has swallowed Oro-Ago, Omugo, Ahun, Oke-Oyan, Owa-Kajola, and Oba in Isin LGA. Residents say over 23 villages have been overrun by suspected bandits, with ancestral homes standing empty, farms rotting, and towns becoming names on a map with no one to say them.

The displacement has been staggering, with an estimated 20,000 people forced to flee their homes since April 2024. Many now live in Ilorin with relatives, in unfinished buildings, or in overcrowded rented rooms, while others have found refuge in Minna, Niger State, and Lagos. Farmers have abandoned their fields, schools have shut down, and local economies have collapsed. Traditional rulers have vacated their palaces, with at least 30 monarchs fleeing their domains over the past year. A community leader told PUNCH that over 20 communities in Kwara South have been deserted as residents flee for safety, while the government appears unconcerned about the killings and kidnappings happening across the region.

The situation in Owa-Onire worsened after the traditional ruler of the community was abducted and held captive for months before regaining freedom following the payment of a ransom. The incident heightened fears among residents and accelerated the exodus from the town. In December 2025, over 40 gunmen stormed Owa-Onire, killing a blacksmith, abducting two persons including a palace maid, and severely injuring several residents. Seven construction workers were also kidnapped along the Sabaja–Owa-Onire Road in December 2025, though they were later freed. Bandits have also demanded N400 million in ransom for 22 hostages held from several communities, including Owa-Onire.

The Kwara State Government has in recent months intensified efforts to tackle insecurity in the affected areas through closer collaboration with security agencies and community-based intelligence gathering. Authorities have repeatedly assured residents that restoring safety in vulnerable communities remains a priority. However, community leaders have accused the government of downplaying the crisis and attempting to silence affected communities. Elder Oyin-Zubair warned that denial and suppression are compounding the suffering of displaced residents. “Some government officials appear jittery about writers and journalists, going as far as warning communities to deny attacks or ransom demands,” he said. “When a community is told to say ‘nothing happened’ while its people sleep in the bush, that community is abandoned twice, first to the kidnappers, then to official denial,” he added.

The viral video of Owa-Onire has reignited calls for urgent government intervention, with residents and community leaders demanding sustained security presence, improved roads, and better intelligence gathering to prevent further displacement. As one resident of the Kwara South region told The Source: “Everyone ran. Lekan stayed. Now he's the only name left to answer when the wind calls Owa-Onire”.

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