Police: How we tracked and rescued Adelabu’s sister, children from kidnappers in Ibadan
The Oyo state police command says two suspected kidnappers were killed and four others arrested during a tactical operation that led to the rescue of Busayo Adelabu-JohnPaul and her 11-year-old twin sons, Peter and Paul, who were abducted in Ibadan.
Abimbola Olugbenga, the commissioner of police in Oyo state, spoke on Sunday while briefing journalists on the command’s investigation into the abduction of Mrs Adelabu-JohnPaul, sister of Adebayo Adelabu, and her children.
According to the police commissioner, the operation, carried out on Saturday, involved operatives of the force intelligence department–intelligence response team (FID-IRT), the Oyo state police command and other tactical units.
Olugbenga described the raid as a major breakthrough against a kidnapping syndicate operating in parts of Ibadan.
He said the victims were abducted on June 3 at about 7:30 am by four armed men travelling in an unregistered ash-coloured Toyota Corolla along Elewura Street, off Ring Road, while Adelabu-JohnPaul was taking her children to school.
Following the incident, he said the police launched an intelligence-led manhunt on the directive of Tunji Disu, the inspector-general of police (IGP).
The police commissioner said investigation led to the arrest of Wale Abolalewa, also known as “Oloro”, who was already on the command’s watchlist.
His arrest, according to the commissioner, provided crucial leads that exposed the gang’s network.
Further interrogation resulted in the arrest of Dare Oyedele, alias “Solution”, identified as a key member of the syndicate.
Olugbenga said investigations revealed that the kidnappers had attempted to recruit a member of the victim’s household staff, identified as Segun, to monitor the family’s movements and school routine ahead of the abduction.
He added that digital forensic analysis of devices recovered from the suspects uncovered photographs of the victim’s vehicles, school environment and daily activities, indicating that the attack was carefully planned.
The commissioner said intelligence gathered during the investigation helped operatives trace the gang to a hideout in the Lado community of Ayegun, Ibadan.
“At about 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, FID-IRT operatives, supported by tactical teams from the Oyo State Command, stormed the hideout,” he said.
“A gang member identified as ‘Kelechi’, who had travelled from Lagos and was acting as a lookout, opened fire on the operatives. The police responded and neutralised him and another unidentified suspect during the exchange of gunfire.
Olugbenga said the operation achieved its primary objective, as the kidnapped victims were rescued unharmed and reunited with their family.
He disclosed that four suspects were arrested during the operation. They include Abolalewa, Oyedele and two alleged facilitators of the hideout, Semiu Ishola, 39, and Adeyemi Ayobami, 35.
According to him, the suspects are assisting investigators in tracking other gang members who escaped.
Items recovered from the hideout include three pump-action guns, 14 live cartridges, the unregistered Toyota Corolla allegedly used in the abduction, criminal charms, a battle axe, a hammer, substances suspected to be hard drugs and two face masks.
The commissioner said efforts are ongoing to apprehend fleeing suspects, some of whom were believed to have escaped with gunshot wounds.
He appealed to medical practitioners, private hospitals and traditional bone setters to report individuals seeking treatment for suspicious gunshot injuries.
Olugbenga also urged residents, landlord associations and community development associations to report unusual movements and suspicious activities within their neighbourhoods.
He said preliminary findings showed that the suspects had used the property for criminal activities over an extended period, despite the movement of an unregistered vehicle in and out of the area.
The police commissioner assured residents that the command, in collaboration with the IGP and the Oyo state government, would continue efforts to tackle kidnapping and other violent crimes across the state.
Speaking with journalists, a resident and landlord in the area, Moruf Orankan, said the property used as the kidnappers’ hideout belonged to a woman who does not reside in the community.
He added that although the house had existed before he moved to the area four years ago, its owner had never attended meetings of the local landlords’ association.
