Mrs. Olaide Busayo Adegoke John-Paul, sister to former Minister of Power Chief Adebayo Adelabu, and her 12-year-old twin sons have been freed following a police rescue operation that involved a shootout with suspected kidnappers in Oyo State.
The victims were rescued alive on Saturday evening after operatives of the Nigeria Police Force carried out a tactical operation, engaging the abductors in a fierce gun battle.
During the operation, two members of the kidnapping gang were killed, and security forces seized two firearms from the suspects.
Mrs. John-Paul, 43, and her sons, Peter and Paul, were kidnapped on June 3 in the Challenge-Elewura area of Ibadan while she was allegedly driving the children to school in a wine-coloured Hyundai Sonata.
The event sparked widespread alarm, prompting security forces to conduct a thorough search to find the victims and catch those responsible.
According to police sources, a mix of intelligence work and ongoing pressure on the kidnappers helped operatives find the location where the victims were being held.
According to the sources, the suspects resisted arrest and fired at security forces, leading to a gun battle that left two of them dead and the hostages rescued.
The victims were rescued without injury and have now been reunited with their family.
Security forces are still searching nearby communities and wooded areas for other members of the gang thought to have escaped during the encounter.
Authorities believe that some of the suspects who fled may have sustained gunshot wounds, so they are keeping an eye on hospitals and other places they might go for treatment.
The rescue happened just a day after Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde visited Adelabu to express sympathy regarding the abduction.
During the visit, the governor was seen in a video showing concern about the incident and comforting the former minister.
“Sorry, brother. “This is the trouble we all find ourselves in,” Makinde was heard saying to Adelabu before the two entered a private meeting.
The abduction captured public attention across all political factions, leading numerous residents to demand stronger measures against kidnapping and other violent crimes in the state.
As investigations are ongoing, police authorities have not disclosed the identities of the suspects who were killed.
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