Juliet Oladele, Reporting
THE Oyo State Police Command has described the rescue of the sister of a former power minister and her twin sons as a “major breakthrough”, following the arrest of four suspects and the killing of two armed kidnappers during a late-night operation.
Mrs Olaide John-Paul, sister of former Minister of Power Adebayo Adelabu, and her 12-year-old twin sons were abducted on 3 June while she was taking the children to school along Elewura Street, off Ring Road, Ibadan.
They were rescued unharmed on Saturday night.
Addressing journalists in Ibadan, the Commissioner of Police, Abimbola Olugbenga, said the operation was jointly carried out by the Force Intelligence Department–Intelligence Response Team (FID-IRT), the Oyo State Command, and other tactical units.
“The arrest of the principal suspects has provided investigators with critical intelligence and a major breakthrough into the activities of a wider kidnapping syndicate,” Mr Olugbenga said.
He disclosed that the Inspector-General of Police ordered an intelligence-driven operation immediately after the distress report was received.
The investigation initially led to the arrest of a suspect known as “Oloro”, who was already on the Command’s watchlist.
That arrest, the CP said, proved to be the turning point, leading officers to another gang member, Dare Oyedele, alias “Solution”.
Police investigations revealed that the gang had been planning the abduction for weeks.
In May 2026, they allegedly tried to recruit an insider connected to the household through a staff member identified only as Segun.
Digital evidence uncovered photographs of the family’s vehicles, school surroundings, daily routines and other lifestyle patterns used to track the victims.
The rescue operation took place on 6 June at about 7:30pm in the Lado community area of Ayegun, Ibadan.
A gun battle broke out after a gang member identified as Kelechi, who had reportedly travelled from Lagos State to act as a lookout, opened fire on the security team.
Kelechi and another unidentified suspect were fatally wounded.
Two additional suspects, Semiu and Adeyemi, were arrested during subsequent mop-up operations.
Recovered items include three pump-action guns, 14 live cartridges, an unregistered ash-coloured Toyota Corolla, criminal charms, a battle axe, a hammer, suspected hard drugs and two face masks.
The CP appealed to medical practitioners and private hospitals to report anyone presenting suspicious gunshot wounds, and vowed that “criminal elements will be relentlessly pursued, arrested, and brought to justice.”
