Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
A 43-year-old woman and her 12-year-old twin sons were abducted by unknown gunmen on Wednesday morning, 3 June 2026, in the Elewura area of Challenge, Ibadan, Oyo State – a brazen kidnapping that has thrust a former federal minister’s family into the centre of the region’s worsening security crisis. The victims, Mrs. Olaide Busayo Adegoke John-Paul, and her twins, Peter and Paul, were seized at approximately 7:30 a.m. while Mrs. John-Paul was driving them to school, according to a statement issued by the media aide to the family, Comrade Femi Awogboro.
The abduction was confirmed by Awogboro, who is also an aide to Chief Adebayo Adelabu, the immediate past Minister of Power and a leading governorship aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State for the 2027 election. “Adelabu’s younger sister, together with her twins (Peter and Paul), were kidnapped this morning by unknown gunmen at Elewura, Challenge, Ibadan,” Awogboro said in the statement, which was widely circulated to newsrooms across the country.
Mrs. John-Paul is the youngest of the five children of the late Mrs. Olufunmilayo Aduke Adegoke Adelabu. A former staff member of the Central Bank of Nigeria and later First Bank Pension Custodian, she retired voluntarily last year and relocated to Ibadan with her children. She was in the process of making arrangements to join her husband, Mr. John Paul, who had earlier relocated to the United States. The twins, Peter and Paul, were both 12 years old at the time of the abduction.
In the aftermath of the incident, the Adelabu family swiftly activated their security contacts. “Immediately the incident was reported, all relevant security and law enforcement agencies were duly contacted,” Awogboro’s statement read. “We are pleased to confirm that security operatives have swung into action and preliminary investigations have commenced in earnest.” The family disclosed that efforts were ongoing to secure the safe rescue of the victims and to apprehend those responsible for the crime. It also appealed to members of the public to remain calm, avoid speculation, and refrain from circulating unverified information that could undermine ongoing rescue operations. “We also solicit prayers and support from well-meaning Nigerians during this difficult period,” the statement added.
The attack in Elewura, a neighbourhood in the Challenge area of Ibadan South-West Local Government Area, occurred on a major road that is typically busy with early‑morning traffic. By the time word spread, however, the area had been partially cordoned off and traffic diverted as police and military personnel conducted preliminary assessments. Officers from the Oyo State Police Command’s Anti‑Kidnapping Unit arrived at the scene before 9 am, and a team of detectives from the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) was later deployed.
The police spokesperson for the Oyo State Command, DSP Olayinka Ayanlade, said he could not independently verify the incident immediately but confirmed that an investigation was ongoing. “I cannot independently verify this for now, but please hold on,” he told the press, urging patience as officers worked to establish the facts. A senior police source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told our reporter that the command had deployed additional tactical units to the Elewura–Challenge axis and had launched a manhunt for the suspected kidnappers. “We are leaving no stone unturned. The Commissioner of Police has given a direct order for the rescue of the victims within the shortest possible time,” the source said.
The abduction of the sister and twin nephews of a former minister marks a significant escalation in the kidnapping crisis that has gripped Oyo State in recent weeks. The incident occurred just 19 days after the mass abduction of 46 pupils and teachers from three schools in Oriire Local Government Area – an attack that has yet to be resolved and has led to nationwide protests and an indefinite strike by the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) in the state. The twin abductions – one involving schoolchildren, the other involving a former minister’s family – have sent shockwaves through the political class, raising urgent questions about the safety of even high‑profile citizens.
When contacted, the Oyo State Commissioner of Police, CP Abimbola Ayodeji Olugbenga, assured the public that security agencies were working to ensure the safe return of the victims. “We are fully aware of the incident, and our officers are on the ground. I cannot go into operational details at this moment, but I urge residents to go about their lawful activities and to provide any useful information to the police,” he said.
The state government has yet to issue an official statement, but Governor Seyi Makinde, who was in Ibadan at the time of the abduction, has been briefed on the incident, according to a source in the governor’s office. The source said that the governor had directed the Commissioner of Police to intensify security around the Elewura–Challenge corridor and to deploy additional forces to the area.
The family of Chief Adelabu has requested privacy as they wait for news of their loved ones. The former minister was reportedly not in Ibadan at the time of the incident; he has since cancelled all public engagements and is being briefed at an undisclosed location by security operatives. A family source said that the abductors had not yet made contact as of Wednesday afternoon, and no ransom demand had been issued.
The incident has also drawn reaction from political figures in Oyo State. Senator Sharafadeen Abiodun Alli, the APC governorship candidate for the 2027 election, issued a statement condemning the abduction and describing it as “heartless and barbaric”. He called on security agencies to intensify efforts and assured the family of his full support.
The Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ibadan Branch, also issued a statement, describing the abduction as “an assault on the rule of law”. The association called on the government to declare a state of emergency on security in Oyo State.
As of the time of this report, the victims remain in captivity. No arrests have been made, and the abductors have not been identified. The family has urged anyone with information to contact the nearest police station or to call the Oyo State Police Command’s emergency lines.
The morning school run that began with twin boys laughing in the back seat of a family car has now become a desperate search for three people who have vanished into the shadows of Nigeria’s kidnapping crisis – a crisis that, on 3 June 2026, reached the doorstep of a former minister and shook the political establishment of Oyo State.
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