Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Nigeria Police Force has rescued the younger sister of former Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, and her 12‑year‑old twin sons, three days after they were snatched from their car during a school run in Ibadan, Oyo State. The operation, which took place around 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 6, 2026, culminated in a fierce gun duel in which two suspected kidnappers were killed and two rifles were recovered. Two other suspects were arrested.
The victims, Mrs. Olaide Busayo Adegoke John‑Paul and her twin sons, Peter and Paul, were abducted at about 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday, June 3, 2026, while she was taking the children to school in the Elewura area of Challenge, Ibadan. According to police sources, armed men intercepted her KIA Sonata, threatened to gun her down if she resisted, and then whisked her and the twins away to an unknown location.
Following the abduction, police operatives from the Force Intelligence Department’s Intelligence Response Team (FID‑IRT) launched an intelligence‑led tracking operation. Through sustained surveillance and tactical pressure, they forced the kidnappers into a direct confrontation. The rescue mission, conducted in Ibadan, resulted in a fierce exchange of gunfire that left two suspected members of the gang dead. Two firearms were recovered from the scene. Security sources said the victims were rescued unharmed and have since been taken into protective custody for medical checks and psychological support.
Police spokesperson for Oyo State Command, DSP Ayanlade Olayinka, confirmed the successful rescue. Adelabu’s media aide, Femi Awogboro, also verified the development, quoting the Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Abimbola Olugbenga, as confirming that the victims were “safe, healthy and unharmed.”
The arrest of two other suspects was also confirmed. Security operatives have continued combing nearby forests and communities for other members of the kidnapping syndicate, some of whom are believed to have escaped with gunshot wounds.
The abduction and the swift rescue have drawn widespread reaction. Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State visited Adelabu on Friday, June 5, to commiserate with the family and reassure them that security agencies were working intensively to secure the victims’ release. “Yesterday, we visited my brother, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, to commiserate with him over the kidnapping of his younger sister and her children,” Makinde wrote on his X handle. “I assured him that the security agencies are working towards their safe return.”
The family expressed deep gratitude. In an earlier statement after the abduction, Adelabu’s media aide described the family as “deeply distressed” but hopeful. Following the rescue, the family acknowledged the support of the Oyo State Government, security agents, the media, and well‑wishers. Mrs. John‑Paul is the youngest of five children of Mrs. Olufunmilayo Aduke Adegoke Adelabu and a former employee of the Central Bank of Nigeria who later retired voluntarily from First Bank Pension Custodian in 2025 before relocating to Ibadan.
The incident has renewed concerns over the rising wave of kidnappings in Oyo State, which came just weeks after more than 40 students and teachers were abducted in the Oriire Local Government Area. Police operations to track fleeing suspects are ongoing.
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