The Oyo State Police Command has disclosed details of the intelligence-led operation that led to the rescue of Mrs. Busayo Adelabu-JohnPaul and her twin sons, Peter and Paul, from the captivity of kidnappers in Ibadan.
Speaking during a press briefing in Ibadan on Sunday, the Commissioner of Police, Abimbola Olugbenga, said the victims were rescued during a coordinated operation involving operatives of the Force Intelligence Department–Intelligence Response Team (FID-IRT), the Oyo State Police Command, and other tactical units.
Busayo Adelabu-JohnPaul is the younger sister of former Minister of Power and Oyo State governorship aspirant, Chief Bayo Adelabu.
According to the police commissioner, the operation followed the abduction of the woman and her children on June 3, 2026, when armed men reportedly intercepted their vehicle along Elewura Street, off Ring Road, Ibadan, while she was taking the children to school.
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Olugbenga said security operatives immediately launched a manhunt on the directive of the Inspector-General of Police, leading to the arrest of a suspect identified as Wale Abolalewa, popularly known as “Oloro,” who was already on the police watchlist.
He explained that information obtained from the suspect led investigators to another gang member, Dare Oyedele, also known as “Solution,” and helped unravel the network behind the abduction.
The commissioner disclosed that investigations revealed the kidnappers had attempted to recruit an insider within the victim’s household to monitor the family’s routine and movements before carrying out the operation.
According to him, digital forensic analysis of devices recovered from suspects uncovered photographs of the family’s vehicles, school environment, and other details used to plan the kidnapping.
The intelligence gathered eventually led security operatives to a hideout in the Lado community of Ayegun, Ibadan, where the victims were being held.
“At about 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, operatives stormed the location. One of the gang members, identified as Kelechi, opened fire on the advancing team. Our operatives responded and neutralised him and another suspect during the exchange of gunfire,” Olugbenga said.
He added that the operation resulted in the safe rescue of the victims, who were found unharmed and subsequently reunited with their family.
The police also arrested four suspected members of the syndicate, including Abolalewa and Oyedele, as well as two alleged accomplices identified as Semiu Ishola, 39, and Adeyemi Ayobami, 35.
Items recovered from the hideout included three pump-action guns, 14 live cartridges, an unregistered Toyota Corolla allegedly used in the abduction, face masks, charms, a battle axe, a hammer, and substances suspected to be hard drugs.
Olugbenga said efforts were ongoing to apprehend other fleeing members of the gang and urged residents to report suspicious activities and persons with gunshot injuries to security agencies. He reaffirmed the command’s commitment to combating kidnapping and other criminal activities across Oyo State.
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