 has taken into custody the wife of Oba Aliyu Alabi Yusuf, the Arojojoye II of Babanla,){kind=link}
The Department of State Services (DSS) has taken into custody the wife of Oba Aliyu Alabi Yusuf, the Arojojoye II of Babanla, over allegations of aiding terrorist groups through financial transactions.
Sources confirmed that the monarch’s personal assistant was also detained alongside the queen consort.
Both are being held at the DSS headquarters in Abuja, where investigators are reportedly probing their roles in ransom collections and fund distribution for criminal networks.
According to intelligence reports, the monarch’s wife allegedly managed a Point of Sale (POS) business that served as a channel for ransom payments, while the aide was accused of coordinating suspicious disbursements to bandit groups.
“This case shows how criminal enterprises are diversifying their methods. Financial facilitators, even unsuspecting ones, make the work of security agencies harder,” a senior security source told reporters.
The arrests come weeks after a viral social media post falsely claimed that several Kwara monarchs, including Oba Yusuf, were caught with N120 million linked to terrorism.
Investigations later revealed the photos used in the claims were AI-generated, and the Kwara State Police dismissed the story as fake.
Despite the earlier denial, DSS operatives have now confirmed that key individuals connected to the Babanla palace are under interrogation.
Earlier in September, Oba Yusuf had filed a defamation suit against individuals who accused him and his household of ties to terrorists.
However, the traditional ruler withdrew the case after community leaders intervened, urging him to prioritise peace over prolonged legal battles.
The controversy comes at a time when several communities in Ifelodun Local Government Area, including Babanla, Shegbe, Ologomo, Alabe, and Oreke, have been repeatedly targeted by armed groups.
Families have been displaced, kidnappings for ransom have become common, and deadly raids have left scars on the population.
A resident of Babanla, who pleaded anonymity, said: “We live in fear daily. Many families have fled, and those who remain hardly sleep at night. The government must act fast before the situation worsens.”
The crisis escalated in July when two teenage girls, Aisha Yahaya and Mariam Yusuf, were abducted by gunmen who stormed the community on motorcycles, firing shots into the air. In August, bandits struck again, this time on a highway in Irepodun Local Government, killing at least three motorists in a broad daylight ambush.
Eyewitnesses reported that the attackers opened fire on unsuspecting travellers and escaped into nearby forests before security forces could respond.
Disturbing videos from the aftermath showed victims’ bodies lying by the roadside, covered with leaves by sympathisers.
Residents have continued to appeal for urgent intervention, warning that the unchecked violence threatens to destabilise more communities in the state.