The Oyo State Police Command on Sunday confirmed the killing of two suspected kidnappers and the arrest of four others during a rescue operation involving Mrs. Busola Adegoke, the sister of former Minister of Power, Bayo Adelabu, and her two children.
Mrs. Adegoke was abducted at about 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday, June 3, 2026, while driving her 12-year-old twin sons, Peter and Paul, to school in Ibadan.
The victims were eventually rescued on Saturday night by operatives of the command.
The operation, which lasted several hours, was carried out in the Ayegun area of Oluyole Local Government Area of Oyo State.
The abductees were rescued from a three-bedroom bungalow where they had been held captive.
The Commissioner of Police, Oluwagbemiga Abimbola, while conducting journalists round the area, confirmed the arrest of four suspects, including the alleged ring leaders.
According to him, the operation was a coordinated effort between the Force Intelligence Department–Intelligence Response Team (FID-IRT) and the Oyo State Police Command, working in synergy with other tactical units of the Nigeria Police Force.
He said, “The Command wishes to inform members of the public of a major operational breakthrough culminating in the successful rescue of a kidnapped woman and her twin sons, the neutralisation of two armed kidnappers, the arrest of four other members and collaborators of the criminal syndicate, and the recovery of operational weapons, ammunition, vehicles and other exhibits used in the commission of the crime.”
The CP said that upon receiving the report, the command, acting on the directives of the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Rilwan Disu, ordered an immediate, coordinated and intelligence-driven manhunt for the perpetrators.
This, he said, led to the deployment of operatives of the FID-IRT in synergy with the Oyo State Police Command and other tactical teams to commence a comprehensive rescue and tracking operation.
“Acting on initial intelligence gathered from the crime scene and surrounding environment, operatives intensified surveillance activities, which led to the arrest of one Wale Abolalewa, popularly known as ‘Oloro,’ a suspect already on the Command’s watchlist for related criminal activities. His arrest provided a critical entry point into the wider network of the kidnapping syndicate.
“Building on this breakthrough, sustained interrogation and further intelligence-led investigations led to the arrest of a second suspect, Dare Oyedele, popularly known as ‘Solution,’ identified as a key operational link within the gang’s structure.
“Preliminary investigations revealed that the gang had, in May 2026, attempted to recruit an insider within the victim’s household through one Segun, a staff member attached to the family.
“This formed part of a wider surveillance and reconnaissance plan during which the gang monitored the family’s movements, routines and the schools attended by the children.”
The Commissioner said further investigations revealed that the suspects later shifted from their initial target and proceeded with the abduction on June 3, 2026, using an unregistered ash-coloured Toyota Corolla.
“A detailed analysis of their digital footprints uncovered a structured surveillance operation, including photographs of the victim’s vehicles, the school environment, daily routines and lifestyle patterns, all used to profile and track the family prior to the attack.
“With these combined intelligence assets, operatives were able to positively identify the suspects’ hideout located in the Lado community, Ayegun, Ibadan,” he said.
According to the CP, on June 6, at about 7:30 p.m., operatives of the FID-IRT, supported by other tactical teams of the Oyo State Police Command, stormed the identified hideout in a well-coordinated operation aimed at rescuing the victims alive.
He said upon sighting the advancing operatives, one of the gang members identified as “Kelechi,” who had travelled from Lagos State and was positioned as a lookout, engaged the operatives in a gun duel.
“The operatives responded with superior tactical precision, resulting in the neutralisation of Kelechi and another unidentified member of the gang,” he said.
He added that following the successful clearance of the hideout, the kidnapped victims, Mrs. Adegoke Olaide Busayo and her twin sons, Peter and Paul, were rescued unharmed and immediately placed in protective custody before being reunited with their family.
The CP said two principal suspects, Wale Abolalewa, alias “Oloro,” and Dare Oyedele, alias “Solution,” were arrested and “currently assisting investigators with critical information aimed at apprehending other fleeing members of the syndicate.”
He added that two other suspects identified as agents responsible for securing and facilitating the use of the criminal hideout were also arrested.
They were identified as Semiu Ishola, 39, and Adeyemi Ayobami, 35.
Exhibits recovered included three pump-action guns, one unregistered ash-coloured Toyota Corolla used for the abduction, 14 live cartridges, charms, a battle axe, a hammer and substances suspected to be hard drugs.
“Investigations are ongoing, with intensified efforts to apprehend other fleeing suspects believed to have escaped with varying degrees of gunshot injuries sustained during the encounter with operatives,” he said.
He called on members of the public, medical practitioners, private hospital operators, traditional bone setters and other healthcare providers to promptly report any individual presenting with suspicious gunshot injuries or unusual medical cases to the nearest police station or security agency.
“Such information will be treated with utmost confidentiality,” he added.
