Police Reveal How Intelligence-Led Operation Freed Adelabu’s Sister And Sons

According to Ireporter Online, the Oyo State Police Command has disclosed that an intelligence-driven operation led to the rescue of the sister of former Minister of Power, Bayo Adelabu, alongside her two children, from a suspected kidnappers’ hideout on the outskirts of Ibadan.

The victims, identified as Busayo Adegoke John-Paul and her 12-year-old twin sons, were reportedly abducted in the early hours of Wednesday at Elewura-Challenge in the Ibadan South-West Local Government Area.

Police authorities confirmed that the rescue operation was carried out on Saturday night in the Ayegun area of Oluyole Local Government Area, during which four suspected kidnappers were arrested. Two other suspects were killed in a gun duel with security operatives, while several others escaped with gunshot injuries. Weapons, including a pump-action shotgun, were also recovered from the scene.

The Commissioner of Police, Oluwagbemiga Abimbola, while addressing journalists, said intelligence gathering and technical surveillance enabled operatives to track the victims to a three-bedroom bungalow allegedly used as a detention facility. He explained that the suspects had moved the victims from the city to the secluded location to avoid detection.

Abimbola expressed concern over what he described as the failure of residents to report suspicious activities around the property, despite its location within a residential area, urging the public to be more vigilant and proactive in sharing information with security agencies.

He further noted that investigations were ongoing to determine whether the kidnapping was politically motivated, given the profile of the victim’s family. The police commissioner also confirmed that authorities would decide the fate of the property allegedly used as the kidnappers’ hideout.

The command added that efforts are ongoing to apprehend fleeing suspects and dismantle the broader kidnapping network linked to the incident.