The Oyo State Police Command has revealed how an intelligence-driven operation led to the rescue of the sister of former Minister of Power, Bayo Adelabu, and her two children from a suspected kidnappers’ hideout on the outskirts of Ibadan.
The victims, Busayo Adegoke John-Paul and her 12-year-old twin sons, were abducted in the early hours of Wednesday at Elewura-Challenge in Ibadan South-West Local Government Area.
The rescue operation, carried out on Saturday night in the Ayegun area of Oluyole Local Government Area, reportedly resulted in the arrest of four suspected kidnappers.
Two other suspects were killed during a gun battle with security operatives, while others reportedly escaped with gunshot wounds.
Police also recovered weapons, including a pump-action shotgun, from the scene.
Victims held in bungalow
Addressing journalists, the Commissioner of Police, Oluwagbemiga Abimbola, said intelligence gathering and technical surveillance helped investigators trace the victims to a three-bedroom bungalow allegedly used as a detention centre.
“After the incident on June 3, we had technical intelligence and based on that, we made a follow-up, which resulted in this operation,” Abimbola said.
“They were kidnapped from the town and driven down here to hide them so that nobody would know the whereabouts of the victims.”
The police commissioner expressed concern that suspicious activities around the property allegedly went unreported despite its location within a residential neighbourhood.
“People have been seeing them coming in here without anybody reporting the conduct,” he said.
He urged residents to cooperate more closely with security agencies.
“If you see something, you say something. If they had done that earlier, maybe we would have been able to arrest them before now,” he added.
Responding to questions on whether the abduction could have been politically motivated because of Adelabu’s profile, the police commissioner said investigations were ongoing.
“We are still investigating,” he stated.
Abimbola also said the government would determine the fate of the property allegedly used by the kidnappers.
The command said investigations were continuing to apprehend fleeing suspects and dismantle the wider kidnapping network behind the abduction.
