Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
IBADAN, Nigeria – The mother of former Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has narrated a heartbreaking irony: she spent a day weeping and praying for the safe return of the 46 schoolchildren and teachers kidnapped in Oyo State’s Oriire Local Government Area, only to learn the next morning that her own daughter and twin grandsons had been seized by gunmen while driving to school. Madam Olufunmilayo Adelabu, who spoke with journalists at her residence in the Challenge area of Ibadan on Sunday, June 7, 2026, hours after the police rescue of her loved ones, said she never imagined insecurity could reach her own doorstep. “I had sincerely prayed for those who were in captivity in Oriire, asking God to bring them home safely. I never imagined that the very next day, my daughter and grandchildren would become victims of a similar incident,” she said. She recounted that she had wept bitterly when she saw videos of the abducted Oriire children on her phone. “I wept bitterly when I saw those children on the phone, without knowing it would happen to me too the following day,” she said. Her daughter, Mrs. Olaide Busayo Adegoke John-Paul, 47, and her 12-year-old twin sons, Peter and Paul, were abducted at about 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday, June 3, 2026, at Elewura Street off Ring Road, Ibadan, while she was driving them to school. The elderly mother described the news as devastating. “I was devastated when I heard what had happened. It brought me to tears because no mother wishes to receive such frightening news about her children and grandchildren,” she said. She expressed profound relief and gratitude following the police rescue. “I thank God Almighty for preserving their lives and bringing them back to us safely. I also appreciate the Nigeria Police Force, government officials and all well-meaning Nigerians who stood by us and supported the rescue efforts,” she told Vanguard. In a viral video circulated by Oyo Affairs on Sunday, she was seen rejoicing: “Olaide, Peter’s mother, is my daughter, my lastborn. I am very happy, very happy. I give thanks to God for the mercy bestowed upon me. That I cried and saw helpers, and saw that my children were rescued unhurt; that my children came home in peace, and I can see all three of them,” she said.
The rescue was carried out by a coordinated team of operatives from the Force Intelligence Department Intelligence Response Team and the Oyo State Police Command. Police spokesperson DSP Ayanlade Olayinka told a Sunday press briefing that the first breakthrough came from intelligence gathered at the crime scene, leading to the arrest of a prime suspect, Wale Abolalewa, known as “Oloro,” who was already on the command’s watchlist. Interrogation of Oloro and exploitation of digital intelligence led to a second suspect, Dare Oyedele, alias “Solution,” and eventually pinpointed the kidnappers’ hideout at Lado community, Ayegun, Ibadan. On Saturday evening, June 6, police operatives stormed the three-bedroom bungalow that served as a detention centre. Upon sighting the advancing team, a lookout named “Kelechi” opened fire. He was killed in the ensuing gun duel, along with another unidentified gang member. Two others were fatally shot, and four suspects were arrested. The victims were found unharmed inside the house and immediately evacuated. Police also recovered firearms, ammunition, operational vehicles, and other exhibits.
Madam Adelabu’s relief, however, was not without sorrow. She said her joy would be complete only when every victim still in captivity regains freedom. “My joy will be complete when every victim still in captivity regains freedom and returns home safely to their loved ones. I continue to pray for the victims in Oriire and others facing similar situations across the country,” she told journalists. She offered prayers for the remaining hostages still held by their abductors. “May God release them from captivity. I prayed for them too, just as I prayed for my children over the past five days. The God who freed my children from bondage will free others too. None of them will die there. They will all come home safely,” she said in the viral video. She also prayed for the country. “God will help stop such occurrences in Nigeria. God will help the government and Nigeria,” she concluded. The abduction of more than 46 pupils and teachers from three schools in the rural farming communities of Yawota, Ahoro-Esinle and Esiele in Oriire Local Government Area occurred on May 15, 2026. The attack also claimed the life of a teacher, Comrade Joel Adesanya. As of Monday, June 8, the victims remain in captivity, despite repeated assurances from the Oyo State Police Command that rescue operations were ongoing. Senator Abdulfatai Buhari had earlier revealed that local informants aided the gunmen, and that at least eight suspects had been arrested. Meanwhile, the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu, has personally commended the operatives responsible for the Adelabu family rescue and reaffirmed the force’s commitment to rescuing the remaining Oriire victims.
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