Kidnap Suspects Reveal How They Abducted Adelabu’s Sister And Twin Sons

Fresh revelations have surfaced regarding the alleged abduction of the sister of former Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, Mrs. Olaide Busayo Adegoke, and her twin sons in Ibadan, Oyo State, as suspects in police custody reportedly disclosed details of the operation.

According to reports, operatives of the Force Intelligence Department–Intelligence Response Team (FID-IRT), working alongside tactical units of the Oyo State Police Command, arrested several individuals believed to have participated in the June 3 kidnapping. Those apprehended include the alleged leader of the gang, Adewale Abolarinwa, popularly known as Oloro, as well as Segun Balogun, also called Alawaye, and Dare Oyedele, nicknamed Solution.

The victims were successfully rescued last Saturday from a hideout in the Lako community along Ayegun-Olomi Road in Ibadan during a coordinated operation reportedly carried out on the directive of the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Rilwan Disu.

One of the suspects, Balogun, a commercial driver operating at Iwo Road Motor Park, allegedly admitted to transporting members of the gang during the operation. He reportedly disclosed that he had known the alleged gang leader for more than a decade through their association in a transport union before being approached to participate in the kidnapping.

Balogun claimed that Oloro initially sought information about Adelabu’s family, particularly his mother’s whereabouts, before revealing plans to abduct either the former minister’s mother or one of his relatives. He alleged that the gang leader persuaded him to join the operation by citing financial hardship and promising a substantial reward, assigning him the role of driver.

He further stated that the operation was executed on June 3 after receiving instructions from Oloro a day earlier. According to his account, four individuals occupied the operational vehicle, with three wearing masks while he remained behind the wheel. He alleged that after identifying the target vehicle, he was instructed to block its path, allowing the other suspects to forcefully take the woman and her children into their own vehicle.

Another suspect, Dare Oyedele, popularly known as Solution, was identified by investigators as an automobile electrician familiar in the Orita Challenge and Podo areas of Ibadan. Police sources alleged that he was responsible for surveillance activities leading up to the kidnapping.

Investigations reportedly revealed that the gang began planning the operation on May 5 by closely monitoring the victims’ residence, tracking the twins’ school, and observing the vehicle used to transport them. Intercepted communications allegedly showed that Solution supplied detailed information about the family’s movements and described the children’s school as a well-equipped, expensive institution.

Solution, a 43-year-old native of Ishara Remo in Ogun State, reportedly acknowledged knowing Oloro for about a year. He claimed the alleged gang leader was once affiliated with the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) before being expelled over an earlier kidnapping case and later relocating to Lagos while maintaining contacts in Ibadan.

According to his statement, Oloro later invited him to join the group and involved him in several movements whose purpose he initially did not understand. He alleged that on June 2, the gang leader brought a Toyota Corolla containing two pump-action guns to his residence in Podo.

Solution further claimed that he, Oloro, and another suspect identified as Kelechi wore masks during the operation, while Balogun remained unmasked inside the vehicle. He alleged that Oloro handed him an axe while he and Kelechi carried pump-action guns. He also stated that Oloro smashed the side window of the victims’ vehicle before the woman and her twin sons were transferred into the gang’s car.

Police sources indicated that Balogun first attracted suspicion after investigators contacted him while searching for Oloro due to their known relationship. Officers reportedly observed him attempting to erase information from his mobile phone, and a subsequent examination allegedly uncovered messages linked to a firearm transaction involving the suspected gang leader.

Although Balogun was initially arrested over those findings, investigators reportedly established his alleged involvement in the kidnapping after Oloro’s arrest.

Authorities disclosed that several suspects were apprehended during the rescue mission, while two others were neutralised. Follow-up operations reportedly led officers to Solution’s property, where a pump-action gun was allegedly recovered, increasing the total number of firearms seized from the gang to three.

Police also claimed that several charms were recovered from Oloro and his vehicle during the operation. Sources further revealed that the alleged gang leader has remained silent since the Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Ayodeji Abimbola, briefed the public on the case.

Records indicate that Oloro had previously been paraded by the Oyo State Police Command in September 2022 after being arrested alongside other suspected kidnappers. At the time, he allegedly admitted involvement in kidnapping and vehicle theft before being arraigned and remanded in custody. However, the circumstances surrounding his release on bail remain unclear before his alleged return to criminal activities.