Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
One of the suspects arrested for the abduction of Mrs. Busayo Olaide – the sister of former Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu – and her twin sons, Paul and Peter, has confessed to the crime, revealing that the gang had originally planned to kidnap the former minister’s elderly mother before switching targets. Segun Balogun (also known as Alawaye), a commercial driver at Iwo Road Motor Park in Ibadan, made the startling disclosure while being interviewed by Nigerian Tribune from police custody on Saturday, June 13, 2026, detailing his role as the gang’s driver and how he was drawn into the syndicate by the gang leader, Adewale Abolarinwa, alias Oloro.
According to Balogun, his 10-year association with Oloro through their transport union turned sinister in May 2026 when Oloro, upon returning to Ibadan from Lagos, began making inquiries about the Adelabu family. “Oloro asked me if Adelabu still had a mother, and I said yes. He asked me where she was living and I told him. He said I should take him to the place,” Balogun confessed. He admitted driving Oloro to show him the residence, after which the gang leader revealed his plan: to kidnap either the mother or a child from the family. “The reason he gave was that he was broke,” Balogun added.
The driver further explained how the target was changed. “Our plan was not to take the sister or the twins first. Oloro said we should go for the ex-minister’s mother. That was the original instruction. But when we got there several times, we realised she was not always easily accessible,” a suspect told police. Police investigations confirmed that, after surveilling the location, the gang shifted their focus to the sister and her twin sons because of their more predictable daily school routine.
The abduction was carried out on Wednesday, June 3, 2026, at about 7:30 a.m. while Mrs. Olaide Busayo Adegoke John-Paul was driving her 12-year-old twin sons to school along Elewura Street, off Ring Road, Ibadan. Balogun drove the getaway vehicle, an unregistered ash-coloured Toyota Corolla, with three armed men aboard. “On Oloro's command, Balogun swerved and intercepted the vehicle, allowing the gunmen to violently bundle the traumatized mother and her twins into their car before fleeing toward Ayegun,” according to a prison interview detailing the assault. The victims were then transferred to a three-bedroom bungalow in the Ayegun area of Ibadan.
Following the abduction, IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu ordered a deployment of the Force Intelligence Department-Intelligence Response Team (FID-IRT) and police tactical squads, who tracked the suspects through phone intercepts and digital intelligence. On Saturday, June 6, 2026, around 7:30 p.m., operatives stormed the Lado Community hideout on Ayegun-Olomi Road. A gang lookout, Kelechi, opened fire on the officers, sparking a fierce gun battle in which he and another member were neutralized. The three victims were found unharmed inside the house.
Police have also confirmed an inside role in the kidnapping: a personal assistant identified as Shehu, attached to a member of the Adelabu family, allegedly provided the gang with key information about the family’s routine, lifestyle and security lapses.
Balogun’s arrest came a day after the rescue, on Thursday, June 4, when a fellow union member and police officer lured him into a vehicle on the pretext of locating Oloro. A voice note on his phone, in which Oloro complained about a failed gun purchase, sealed his fate. “My heart was pumping hard. Since that day till now, I have been unable to eat. I have been drinking water only,” Balogun told investigators. Meanwhile, Oloro – who has a prior conviction for kidnapping – has reportedly been transferred to a hospital after embarking on a prolonged hunger strike while in custody.
The Oyo State Police Command has paraded the suspects and vowed to arrest any others linked to the crime, regardless of status, with investigations ongoing. For the family of Mrs. Busayo Olaide and her twin sons, the confessions have brought to light the chilling backstory of their 72-hour ordeal, but also the relief that the kidnappers have finally been brought to book. Their attorney, Femi Awogboro, speaking on behalf of the family, praised the police for their swift action and urged that the full weight of the law be brought down on all the perpetrators.
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