Matilda Omonaiye/
The Oyo State Police Command has revealed details of the intelligence-led operation that culminated in the dramatic rescue of Mrs. Busayo Adelabu-JohnPaul and her twin sons, Peter and Paul, from the den of their abductors in Ibadan on Saturday night.
Addressing journalists on Sunday, the Commissioner of Police, CP Abimbola Olugbenga, disclosed that two members of the kidnapping gang were neutralised during a fierce gun duel, while four suspects were arrested and a cache of weapons, criminal charms, hard drugs and the vehicle used for the abduction were recovered.
Mrs. Adelabu-JohnPaul, 42, is the younger sister of Chief Adebayo Adelabu, former Minister of Power and a governorship aspirant in Oyo State.
The police chief described the operation as a major breakthrough against organised kidnapping networks operating within the state, noting that the raid was carried out by operatives of the Force Intelligence Department–Intelligence Response Team (FID-IRT), in collaboration with tactical units of the Oyo State Police Command.
According to him, the operation was launched following the abduction of Mrs. Adelabu-JohnPaul and her 11-year-old twin sons on June 3, 2026.
“The victims were kidnapped at about 7:30 a.m. by four armed men who intercepted them in an unregistered ash-coloured Toyota Corolla along Elewura Street, off Ring Road, Ibadan, while the mother was taking her children to school,” the CP said.
He explained that acting on the directive of the Inspector-General of Police, investigators immediately deployed intelligence assets, surveillance teams and digital tracking tools to unravel the criminal network behind the abduction.
The breakthrough came with the arrest of a notorious suspect, Wale Abolalewa, alias Oloro, who had already been on the Command’s watchlist.
His arrest, according to the CP, exposed critical links within the gang and led investigators to another key operative, Dare Oyedele, popularly known as Solution.
Further investigations uncovered what police described as a carefully orchestrated surveillance operation mounted against the victim’s family months before the abduction.
The syndicate allegedly attempted to recruit an insider through a household staff member identified as Segun to monitor the family’s movements and gather intelligence on the children’s school routine.
Digital forensic analysis conducted on devices recovered from the suspects reportedly revealed photographs of the family’s vehicles, their residence, school environment and other personal details, indicating extensive reconnaissance before the kidnap operation.
“The digital evidence enabled our operatives to track the gang’s movements and identify their operational base,” Olugbenga said.
The investigation eventually led security operatives to a secluded hideout in Lado Community, Ayegun area of Ibadan. At about 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, the combined police team stormed the location in a coordinated tactical assault.
According to the Commissioner, a gang member identified simply as Kelechi, who had travelled from Lagos to serve as a lookout, opened fire on the approaching operatives.
“The operatives responded professionally and with superior firepower. In the ensuing exchange, Kelechi and another gang member were neutralised,” he said.
The police successfully secured the hideout and rescued Mrs. Adelabu-JohnPaul and her children unharmed. The victims were subsequently reunited with their family.
Four suspects were arrested during the operation. They include Abolalewa (Oloro), Oyedele (Solution), and two alleged collaborators accused of providing logistical support and shelter to the gang: Semiu Ishola, 39, and Adeyemi Ayobami, 35.
Police said the suspects are assisting investigators in efforts to apprehend other members of the syndicate who escaped during the raid.
Items recovered from the hideout include three pump-action guns, 14 live cartridges, the unregistered Toyota Corolla allegedly used for the abduction, criminal charms, a battle axe, a hammer, substances suspected to be hard drugs, and two face masks.
While conducting journalists around the hideout, CP Olugbenga disclosed that some fleeing gang members escaped with gunshot wounds and appealed to hospitals, medical practitioners and traditional bone setters to alert security agencies if anyone presents with suspicious firearm injuries.
He also urged residents, landlords’ associations and community development groups to be more vigilant and promptly report unusual movements within their neighbourhoods.
According to the police boss, preliminary investigations revealed that the property had allegedly served as a base for kidnapping operations for some time, with strange vehicular movements and suspicious activities going largely unreported.
“The success of this operation underscores the importance of community intelligence and timely information-sharing in the fight against violent crime,” he said.
Olugbenga assured residents that the Command, working closely with the Inspector-General of Police and the Oyo State Government, would sustain its offensive against kidnappers and other violent criminal elements across the state.
A resident and landlord in the area, Mr. Moruf Orankan, told journalists that the house used by the gang belonged to a woman who neither resided in the community nor participated in local residents’ meetings.
According to him, although the building existed before he moved into the neighbourhood four years ago, its owner had remained largely unknown to residents, raising fresh concerns about absentee property ownership and the exploitation of isolated buildings by criminal gangs.
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