The Oyo State Police Command has significantly expanded its operational footprint and deployed multiple specialized tactical units across strategic locations in a bid to secure the safe rescue of the younger sister of former Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, and her twin sons. The victims were forcefully abducted by unidentified heavily armed men in the state capital during the early hours of Wednesday morning, a development that has triggered widespread concern among residents and key political stakeholders across the country.
The victims of the targeted assault have been identified as Mrs Busayo John-Paul and her twelve-year-old twin boys, Peter and Paul. Reports filtering from the scene of the incident indicate that the family members were intercepted by the criminal gang at approximately 7:30 a.m. while the mother was driving her children to their school. The incident occurred along the highly frequented and busy Ring Road axis of Ibadan, a major commercial and residential artery within the state capital, catching many commuters and onlookers by surprise.
In the immediate aftermath of the violent interception, security operatives racing to the scene managed to locate and recover the personal vehicle used by the victims before they were forced out and taken away into captivity by their captors. While forensic experts examine the abandoned vehicle for actionable intelligence, specialized units have been mobilized to comb surrounding forests and suspected hideouts within and outside the capital city.
Confirming the details of the ongoing operation, the Police Public Relations Officer for the Oyo State Command, Olayinka Ayanlade, stated that the Commissioner of Police took immediate charge of the situation upon receiving the distress report. The police chief issued directives for a swift, overwhelming, and highly coordinated response from all available divisional and tactical assets within the metropolitan area.
According to the official police spokesperson, officers attached to the Challenge Division were the first responders to arrive at the location, working in close partnership with other high-level tactical teams. The initial team secured the scene, successfully recovered the victim’s abandoned automobile, and immediately initiated intensive tracking investigations based on preliminary leads gathered from witnesses in the area.
The command administration has formally reached out to reassure members of the public that the state is utilizing every available technological and human resource to guarantee that the victims are brought back unharmed. Furthermore, the authorities expressed total commitment to tracking down, apprehending, and prosecuting every individual involved in planning and executing the disruptive criminal act. The police leadership also used the opportunity to call on the general public to maintain high vigilance and supply security agencies with credible, timely information that could accelerate the tracking of the kidnapping syndicate.
Prior to the official police statement, a media aide to the former minister, Femi Awogboro, broke the news to the public through a formal press release issued on behalf of the affected family. The statement formally verified that the close relatives of Adebayo Adelabu, who is a leading political figure and a major governorship aspirant under the banner of the All Progressives Congress in the state, had indeed been taken by armed men. The communication identified the abducted mother by her full family name, Olaide Busayo Adegoke John-Paul, alongside her young sons.
The family source described the sudden development as deeply painful, traumatic, and shocking to everyone close to the victims. Despite the heavy emotional toll of the situation, the statement conveyed a strong sense of optimism regarding the capacity and dedication of the national security architecture to resolve the crisis favorably. The former minister and his extended family emphasized their total confidence in the ongoing police investigations, while passionately appealing to social media users and commentators to refrain from spreading unverified rumors or speculative reports that could compromise the safety of the hostages or jeopardize the delicate rescue operations currently underway.
The high-profile nature of the abduction has brought renewed scrutiny to the overall security architecture of Oyo State, prompting various political leaders to demand immediate interventions to curb the frequency of violent crimes. Reacting to the situation, the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress issued a strong appeal to Governor Seyi Makinde, urging the administration to re-examine the existing security frameworks and foster deeper operational synergy with federal security agencies.
In a statement authored by the opposition party’s Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, the political group noted that ordinary citizens are increasingly living under a cloud of anxiety due to a noticeable pattern of kidnappings across different zones of the state. The party highlighted several unresolved incidents, making reference to previous abductions involving educational staff and students within the Oriire Local Government Area, as well as an incident where personnel working with the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria were targeted within the Oluyole Local Government Area.
The opposition platform argued that no resident should be subjected to constant fear regarding their personal safety, asserting that the current atmosphere indicates a significant decline in effective crime prevention. They also referenced the previous targeted abduction of an APC chieftain, Wale Oriade, within the state capital late last year, using the timeline to argue that criminal networks are becoming more daring in their operations.
The incident also drew commentary from former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who characterized the bold morning attack as a clear symptom of a broader, systemic security challenge facing the nation. Speaking through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, the former vice president observed that the daring nature of the assault in a highly visible public space demonstrates that criminal elements are operating with a dangerous level of impunity.
He noted that criminal syndicates do not consider political affiliations or social status when choosing their targets, stressing that the threat affects individuals across all sectors of society, whether they are government officials, traders, teachers, or agrarian workers. He urged the federal government to adopt a more aggressive, intelligence-led approach to completely dismantle these networks and restore a sense of safety among the populace.
Adding his voice to the calls for action, another prominent APC governorship aspirant in the state, Ololade Bakare, extended his deep sympathies to the Adelabu family during this challenging period. He stressed that the situation requires immediate, uncompromising action from law enforcement, while urging local communities to practice collective vigilance and report any unusual movements within their neighborhoods to help maintain public safety.
