A mother buckled her children into the car, pointed toward the school gate, and set off on a familiar route. But on the 3rd of June, 2026, that routine journey became anything but ordinary for Mrs. Olaide Busayo Adegoke John-Paul and her 12-year-old twin sons, Peter and Paul.
At approximately 7:30 a.m., in a brazen act that would grip the nation’s attention, gunmen intercepted their vehicle and abducted all three in broad daylight in one of Oyo State’s busiest urban centers. Their ordeal lasted 72 harrowing hours. Their power connection, it turned out, had made them targets.
The victims are relatives of Adebayo Adelabu, the former Minister of Power and a prominent figure within the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State, where he has previously mounted a governorship bid.
Security analysts have long warned that associates and family members of high-profile political figures face elevated risks of abduction in Nigeria’s volatile security climate, and this incident appeared to confirm those fears in the starkest possible terms.
Word of the kidnapping spread rapidly, amplified by the connection’s political profile. Pressure mounted on security agencies to act swiftly and decisively. Behind the scenes, the machinery of federal law enforcement was already being set in motion.
What followed over the next three days was a painstaking intelligence-led operation, far removed from the dramatic, improvised rescues that characterize some security responses in Nigeria. The Force Intelligence Department’s Intelligence Response Team, the FID-IRT, an elite unit of the Nigeria Police Force, took the lead.
According to a statement issued by Force Public Relations Officer Anthony Okon Placid, operatives engaged in sustained surveillance and intelligence gathering to piece together the kidnappers’ movements. Every hour mattered. Every piece of information was critical.
“The rescue was achieved through sustained intelligence gathering, surveillance, and tactical operations,” the statement confirmed. “These efforts enabled investigators to track the kidnappers’ movements.”
Sources familiar with such operations indicate that the FID-IRT is known for its methodical approach, building a picture of suspects’ locations before committing to a tactical intervention, rather than rushing in prematurely and risking the lives of hostages.
By Saturday evening, the net had closed. At approximately 7:30 p.m., exactly twelve hours in symmetry with the morning the family was snatched, FID-IRT operatives moved in on the kidnappers’ position somewhere in Ibadan.
What followed was a confrontation that turned deadly. Two suspected kidnappers were fatally wounded in the exchange, and two rifles were recovered from the scene. Other members of the syndicate reportedly fled, some believed to have sustained gunshot injuries in the chaos.
Critically, Mrs. Adegoke and her twin boys emerged from the ordeal unharmed, an outcome that, given the volatile nature of such standoffs, security operatives will consider a significant success. The three were immediately placed in safe custody and are currently receiving medical attention and psychological support services.
Despite the relief that accompanied the rescue, authorities were quick to stress that the operation is far from over. The Nigeria Police Force confirmed that efforts are actively underway to track and apprehend the remaining members of the kidnapping syndicate who escaped during the confrontation.
“Preliminary intelligence indicates that some suspects escaped with gunshot injuries,” the official statement read. “Operations are ongoing to track, arrest, and bring all involved to justice.”
The Inspector-General of Police, in acknowledging the operatives involved, described their conduct as both courageous and professional, a rare public praise that underscores the significance of the outcome.
In a country where kidnap-for-ransom has grown into an alarming criminal enterprise stretching across geographies and social strata, a clean rescue with no hostage casualties represents a benchmark the force will be eager to build upon.
For Mr. Adelabu and his extended family, the 72 hours between the abduction and the rescue must have been among the most agonizing of their lives. The sight of a mother and her children returning safely, when so many families in similar circumstances have not been so fortunate, will not be lost on observers.
The Nigeria Police Force also extended its gratitude to members of the public whose cooperation and information sharing reportedly aided the operation, reiterating its commitment to combating kidnapping and violent crime across the country.
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
The rescue of Mrs. Olaide Adegoke and her twin sons from kidnappers in Ibadan stands as a testament to what disciplined, intelligence-led security operations can achieve.
Three days after being snatched off a school run in broad daylight, the family was recovered unharmed, not through luck, but through methodical surveillance and tactical precision by the FID-IRT.
Two kidnappers were neutralized, but the operation is not yet over, as fleeing suspects remain at large.
