The Oyo State Police Command confirmed it has opened an investigation into the abduction of Olaide Busayo Adegoke John-Paul, sister of former Minister of Power and APC gubernatorial aspirant Adebayo Adelabu, and her twin sons. The incident occurred around 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday, June 3, 2026, in Ibadan, when armed men intercepted Mrs. John-Paul while she was en route to drop her 12-year-old sons, Peter and Paul, at school. The victims were taken along with her vehicle, which police later recovered at the scene.
A statement from the police spokesperson, Olayinka Ayanlade, said the Commissioner of Police directed immediate deployment of tactical teams to the Challenge Division to begin investigations. The police assured the public that all available resources were being used to secure the safe release of the victims and apprehend the suspects.
Femi Awogboro, a media aide to Adebayo Adelabu, confirmed the kidnapping in a separate statement, noting that Mrs. John-Paul, aged 43, is the youngest of five children of Mrs. Olufunmilayo Aduke Adegoke Adelabu. She formerly worked at the Central Bank of Nigeria and First Bank Pension Custodian before retiring in 2025.
The abduction comes weeks after another incident on May 15, 2026, when over 40 teachers and students were kidnapped in Ahoro-Esiele, Oriire Local Government Area. It also follows the December 2025 abduction of APC chieftain Wale Oriade in Ibadan, where armed men in a blue Micra vehicle seized him from his office at PJ Square Shopping Complex along Akala Expressway. Eyewitnesses described the attack as precise and alarming.
Adebayo Adelabu campaigns as a safe pair of hands for Oyo, yet his own sister cannot travel safely in Ibadan. The same city where police recovered a vehicle but not its occupants after an armed abduction. If the family of a top aspirant is not secure, ordinary residents have far less reason to feel protected. The pattern of unresolved kidnappings undermines claims of improved security.
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