Gunmen suspected to be kidnappers invaded the palace of the Olukoro of Koro in the Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State around 7 pm on Thursday evening. They shot and killed the traditional ruler, Oba Peter Segun Aremu-Cole (a retired Army General), and abducted his wife, Olori Iyabo Aremu, and two others. One witness, Aremu Simon Adeyemi, reported that he challenged the suspects after noticing their movement around his grandson, but they pointed guns at him and ordered him to follow them; his grandson escaped through the backdoor while the suspects proceeded to kill the monarch and kidnap his wife.
1 Feb 2024 · Koro, Ekiti, Kwara
Deaths
1
Injured
0
Kidnapped
3
Total casualties
1
Perpetrators
Bandits
Response
Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq condemned the killing, describing it as "reckless, shocking, and abominable". He charged security agencies to track down the perpetrators and secure the release of the abductees. The Kwara State Police Command launched an investigation. The Emir of Ilorin and other stakeholders condemned the murder and called for intensified security efforts. The monarch's wife was later rescued in a joint operation by the police, military, DSS, and vigilantes/hunters
Displacement
0
Socioeconomic drivers
Weak security presence in rural communities, enabling criminal networks to operate with impunity.
Trajectory
This incident reflects the continued targeting of traditional rulers in Nigeria. The killing occurred just days after gunmen killed two traditional rulers in neighboring Ekiti State, suggesting a coordinated or copycat pattern. 14 suspects were eventually arraigned in court on charges of criminal conspiracy, kidnapping, and culpable homicide.
Cycle notes
The killing of Oba Peter Segun Aremu-Cole, the Olukoro of Koro in Ekiti LGA of Kwara State directly echoed the 19 October 2018 killing of Dr. Maiwada Raphael Galadima, the Agom Adara III of the Adara Chiefdom in Kaduna State, and the September 2025 killing of Sarkin Shuwaka in Kanam LGA of Plateau State, reflecting a persistent pattern of traditional rulers being killed in captivity or during attacks across Northern Nigeria. This lethal pattern also connects to the 2 January 2018 abduction of Yohanna Sidi Kukah, the Agwom Akulu II of Ikulu in Kaduna State (released after 10 days); the 27 November 2019 abduction of Mohammed Ibrahim Pada, the traditional ruler of Rubochi in Kuje Area Council of the FCT (released in December 2019); the 20 April 2020 kidnapping of Alhaji Shehu Sulaiman, the Pankwal Bogghom of Bogghon District in Kanam LGA of Plateau State; the 26 December 2021 abduction of Charles Mato Dakat, the Sum Pyem of Gindiri in Mangu LGA of Plateau State (released on 30 December 2021); the 16 January 2022 kidnapping of Da Gyang Balak Gut, the Da Gwom Rwei of Vwang District in Jos South LGA of Plateau State; the 30 March 2022 abduction of Hassan Shamidozhi, the traditional ruler of Bukpe in Kwali Area Council of the FCT; and the 15 May 2025 abduction of Oba James Dada Ogunyanda, the Obalohun of Okoloke in Yagba West LGA of Kogi (released after 27 days in June 2025).
Pattern
Traditional ruler kidnapping
Related — Kidnapping
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A convoy of aid workers from the international humanitarian organization Action Against Hunger (ACF) was ambushed by militants from the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP). The attackers stopped the vehicles, shot dead the driver, and abducted six aid workers. The victims included one ACF staff member, two drivers, and three health workers (the latter employed by the Borno State Ministry of Health)