Gunmen abducted Adetutu Aderibigbe, a young woman, in Ibadan on Wednesday, 8 April 2026. The incident occurred at about 6:00 pm at her residence in the Bolumole area, off Ring Road. Four armed men wearing masks stormed the premises and forced her into a black Lexus Jeep without license plates. A family member was present during the abduction but was not harmed. The attackers fled the scene immediately, and the victim's location remains unknown as of Friday, 10 April 2026.
Olayinka Ayanlade, Public Relations Officer for the Oyo State Police Command, confirmed the abduction. He stated that preliminary investigations had been completed and that efforts were underway to locate and rescue Adetutu. The police have not yet made any arrests or released details about possible suspects. The unregistered vehicle used in the abduction has not been recovered. No group has claimed responsibility for the incident.
Adetutu Aderibigbe's abduction by four masked men in broad daylight exposes the fragility of urban security even in state capitals like Ibadan. The fact that the attackers used an unregistered black Lexus and struck at a private residence suggests planning and familiarity with the area, raising questions about intelligence gaps and local surveillance.
This incident reflects a growing pattern of brazen criminal activity in Oyo State, where kidnappings are no longer confined to rural highways or remote communities. The police confirmation of the crime but lack of arrests two days later underscores operational delays that embolden perpetrators. The presence of a witness who was spared may indicate targeted intent rather than random abduction, pointing to possible insider knowledge or prior surveillance.
Residents in neighbourhoods like Bolumole, often considered relatively secure, now face heightened anxiety. Middle-class families who rely on perceived safety in residential zones are particularly vulnerable, as such attacks erode confidence in personal security and law enforcement response.
This is not an isolated event but part of a wider trend of escalating urban kidnappings across southwestern Nigeria, where armed groups adapt tactics to exploit weak monitoring and slow police mobilization.
