Police Rescue Adelabu’s Sister and Twin Sons in Ibadan

The Nigeria Police Force rescued Mrs Olaide Busayo Adegoke John-Paul and her 12-year-old twin sons, Peter and Paul, the younger sister and nephews of former Minister of Power Chief Adebayo Adelabu, in a gun battle with kidnappers in Ibadan, Oyo State, at approximately 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 6, 2026, four days after the family was abducted on their way to school.

The family was seized in the early hours of Tuesday, June 3, 2026, when armed men intercepted the vehicle carrying the woman and her children as they travelled toward school in Ibadan. The attack triggered an immediate response from the police, with the Anti-Kidnapping Squad and tactical units deployed to track the suspects across the state.

Security sources confirmed that sustained intelligence tracking and tactical pressure forced the kidnappers into a confrontation with police operatives at their hideout. Two suspected kidnappers were killed in the ensuing gun duel, and two firearms were recovered from the gang. Other members of the criminal network fled the scene with suspected gunshot injuries, and operatives were still conducting a sweep of the surrounding area for fleeing suspects at the time of the operation.

Rescue Sparks Political Controversy

The swift rescue prompted an unexpected political storm. A Presidential aide, Special Assistant on Social Media Dada Olusegun, condemned critics who questioned whether the rapid rescue of the former minister’s relatives exposed a double standard in security response. ‘If you find yourself unhappy about the rescue of a woman and her children and jump on every conspiracy to try and downplay the efforts of law enforcement, just know you’re already a terrorist,’ Olusegun wrote in a series of posts on X.

However, the criticism highlighted a growing public frustration that the families of prominent officials often receive faster security responses than ordinary Nigerians in similar distress. Critics drew a direct comparison to the Oriire school abduction in Oyo State, where over 40 pupils and teachers have remained in captivity for nearly four weeks with no confirmed rescue.

Furthermore, the Oyo State Police Command separately dismissed viral reports claiming that six suspects linked to the Oriire school abduction had been arrested in Ibadan, describing the claims as ‘false from the pit of hell’. The command urged the public to disregard unverified security updates and to obtain information only from official police sources. Notably, the combination of the Adelabu family rescue and the debunked arrest reports reflects the intense information environment surrounding Nigeria’s deepening kidnapping crisis. Consequently, security agencies are managing simultaneous operational and communications pressures as public anxiety over abductions continues to rise.

Oyo Assembly Rejects Ransom Talks

Meanwhile, the Oyo State House of Assembly rejected suggestions that the state government should negotiate with the bandits who carried out the Oriire school abduction, instead calling for intensified rescue operations, security audits for schools near forests, and the installation of solar-powered lights, perimeter fencing, and CCTV cameras in vulnerable schools. As a result, both the legislature and law enforcement are pushing a firm no-negotiation stance even as the victims remain unaccounted for.