The Oyo State police command has arrested four suspected members of the gang linked to the abduction of Adegoke Olaide John-Paul and her 11-year-old twin sons, Peter and Paul.
In a statement issued on Sunday, Ayanlade Olayinka, spokesperson of the command, said the suspects conducted weeks of surveillance on the family, attempted to recruit an insider in their household, and photographed their movements before carrying out the attack in Ibadan.
John-Paul, who is a younger sister to Adebayo Adelabu, former power minister, and her sons were rescued on Saturday after three days in captivity.
They were abducted on June 3 at 7 am in Ibadan, Oyo State capital, while on her way to drop off the twins at school.
The police said the victims were rescued unharmed during a coordinated operation carried out by operatives of the Force Intelligence Department-Intelligence Response Team (FID-IRT) and the Oyo police command.
The command said during rescue efforts, two suspects were killed, while one Wale Abolalewa, also known as “Oloro”, who was already on the police watchlist for related criminal activities, was arrested.
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Olayinka said the arrest provided investigators with a crucial lead into the wider kidnapping network, leading to the arrest of another suspect, Dare Oyedele, popularly known as “Solution”, described as a key operational member of the gang.
The police said preliminary findings showed that the syndicate had attempted to recruit an insider within the victim’s household in May through a staff member identified as Segun.
Investigators said the gang monitored the family’s movements, routines, and the schools attended by the children as part of an elaborate surveillance operation before carrying out the abduction.
According to the police, analysis of the suspects’ digital footprints uncovered photographs of the family’s vehicles, school environment and daily activities used to profile and track the victims.
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The intelligence gathered eventually led operatives to the gang’s hideout in the Lado community, Ayegun area of Ibadan.
Olayinka said operatives stormed the hideout on Friday evening in a tactical operation aimed at rescuing the victims.
“Upon sighting the advancing operatives, one of the gang members identified as Kelechi, who had travelled from Lagos State and was positioned as a lookout, engaged the operatives in a gun duel,” he said.
“The operatives responded with superior tactical precision, resulting in the neutralisation of Kelechi and another unidentified member of the gang.”
Two other suspects, identified as Semiu Ishola, 39, and Adeyemi Ayobami, 35, were also arrested for allegedly facilitating the use of the hideout.
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Items recovered from the suspects included three pump-action rifles, 14 live cartridges, the unregistered Toyota Corolla allegedly used in the operation, a battle axe, a hammer, face masks, substances suspected to be hard drugs and charms.
The command said efforts were ongoing to apprehend other members of the syndicate who escaped during the raid, some of whom were believed to have sustained gunshot injuries.
It urged residents, hospitals, traditional bone setters and other healthcare providers to report anyone seeking treatment for suspicious gunshot wounds, assuring that information would be treated confidentially.
