Oyo Demolishes Kidnappers’ Den After Rescue of Adelabu’s Sister, Twins

​IBADAN – The Oyo State Government on Monday commenced the demolition of a secluded property utilized as a kidnappers’ hideout in the Lakoun community, situated along the Ayegun-Olojuoro Road in Ibadan.

​The targeted structure served as the operational base where Mrs. Olaide Busayo Adegoke John-Paul—the 43-year-old younger sister of the immediate past Minister of Power and 2027 APC governorship aspirant, Chief Adebayo Adelabu—and her 12-year-old twin sons, Peter and Paul, were held captive.

​The Abduction and High-Stakes Rescue

​The victims were violently intercepted by an armed syndicate at around 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday, June 3, 2026, at Elewura Street, off Ring Road in the Challenge area of Ibadan, while Mrs. John-Paul was driving her children to school in a wine-colored Hyundai Sonata. The kidnappers, operating in an unregistered ash-colored Toyota Camry, forcefully bundled the family away to the Lakoun hideout.

​Following days of intensive surveillance and tracking, a joint operational team comprising the Force Intelligence Department’s Intelligence Response Team (FID-IRT) and the Oyo State Police Command executed a tactical raid on the forest hideout at approximately 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 6.

​The raid resulted in a fierce gun duel. Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Oluwagbemiga Abimbola, confirmed the details of the confrontation:

• ​Casualties: Two members of the kidnapping syndicate were fatally wounded during the shootout.
• ​Arrests: Four suspects were taken into custody, including key figures Wale Abolalewa (alias “Oloro”) and Dare Oyedele (alias “Solution”).
• ​Recoveries: Two functional rifles and the victims’ vehicle were successfully recovered by operatives.

​The three victims were rescued entirely unharmed and were immediately moved into safe custody for comprehensive medical evaluation and psychological support.

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​Government Flattens the Criminal Sanctuary

​The flattening of the building on Monday directly followed a high-powered security assessment of the site led by Commissioner Abimbola on Sunday.

​”The Oyo State Government has leveled the property to the ground to ensure it can never again be utilized as a haven for violent elements,” an official security update noted.

​Local digital media platforms shared video footage and photographs showing heavy earth-moving equipment systematically reducing the structure to rubble, a policy the state government has consistently maintained to deter property owners from allowing their structures to harbor criminals.

​Ongoing Manhunt

​The Inspector-General of Police and Governor Seyi Makinde—who had earlier paid a solidarity visit to the Adelabu family during the crisis—have both lauded the professionalism displayed by the tactical teams.

​Meanwhile, security agencies have intensified a coordinated manhunt in the surrounding forests for fleeing syndicate members, several of whom are believed to have escaped the gun battle with severe bullet wounds. The Oyo State Police Command has urged local medical practitioners and community residents to immediately report anyone seeking treatment for suspicious injuries.