Two suspected kidnappers were gunned down and operational vehicles recovered on Friday night when operatives of the Force Intelligence Department–Intelligence Response Team (FID-IRT) stormed a criminal hideout in Lado Community, Ayegun, Ibadan, Oyo State during a rescue operation of abducted sister of former Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu and her twin sons
Recall that Adelabu’s Sister, Mrs. Adegoke Olaide Busayo, 42, and her 11-year-old twin sons, Peter and Paul were abducted three days earlier at Elewura Street, off Ring Road, Ibadan, while being driven to school.
The Oyo State Police Command said in a press statement on Sunday that the tactical operation followed days of intelligence tracking after the June 3 abduction.
Upon sighting the advancing operatives at about 7:30 p.m. on June 6, a suspect identified as Kelechi who had travelled from Lagos and was posted as a lookout engaged police in a gun duel.
Operatives returned fire with superior precision, neutralizing Kelechi and one other unidentified gang member.
Following the clearance of the hideout, the mother and her twin sons were found unhurt and immediately placed in protective custody before being reunited with their family.
Police recovered key operational assets used by the syndicate, including: 1 unregistered ash-coloured Toyota Corolla , the vehicle used for the abduction
, 3 pump-action guns, 14 live cartridges,
charms, battle axe, hammer, 2 face masks, and substances suspected to be hard drugs
In mop-up operations, police arrested four other members of the gang: Wale Abolalewa alias “Oloro” , already on police watchlist, arrested first and provided lead to the syndicate, Dare Oyedele alias “Solution”identified as a key operational link ,Semiu Ishola, 39 and Adeyemi Ayobami, 35, agents accused of contracting the criminal hideout
Investigators said the gang had attempted to recruit an insider from the victim’s household in May 2026 and had digitally profiled the family’s vehicles, school, and daily routines before the abduction.
The Command appreciated the Inspector-General of Police and the Oyo State Government for operational support. It urged hospitals, clinics, and traditional bone setters to report anyone with suspicious gunshot injuries, assuring confidentiality.
“Residents must remain vigilant and report strange movements. Timely information remains vital to defeating crime,” the Command stated, adding that manhunt continues for fleeing suspects believed to have escaped with gunshot wounds.
