Armed men struck again in Oyo State on Wednesday morning, abducting the younger sister of former Power Minister Bayo Adelabu and her 12-year-old twin sons in the Challenge area of Ibadan. The kidnapping of Olaide Busayo Adegoke John-Paul and her children, Peter and Paul, has sent shockwaves across the state and drawn fresh attention to the worsening security situation in Nigeria’s South-West.
Who Was Kidnapped in Ibadan Today?
The victim is Mrs. Olaide Busayo Adegoke John-Paul, aged 43, the youngest of five children born to Mrs. Olufunmilayo Aduke Adegoke Adelabu. Until her voluntary retirement last year, she served at the Central Bank of Nigeria and First Bank Pension Custodian. She had recently relocated to Ibadan with her children while preparing to join her husband, Mr. John Paul, in the United States. Her abduction, alongside her twin boys, occurred at about 7:30 a.m. at Elewura, Challenge, as the family made their way to drop the children at school. Media aide Femi Awogboro confirmed the incident in a statement, saying the family was attacked and whisked away by unknown gunmen.
What Do We Know About the Ibadan Kidnapping?
Details remain sketchy, but the family has confirmed that all relevant security agencies have been contacted. “Security operatives have swung into action and preliminary investigations have commenced in earnest,” the family statement read. The Oyo State Police Public Relations Officer, Olayinka Ayanlade, told reporters he could not independently verify the incident at the time of inquiry but asked the public to hold on for updates. The family has appealed for calm, urging Nigerians to avoid speculation and unverified information that could jeopardise ongoing rescue efforts.
Bayo Adelabu and the Political Context
Bayo Adelabu is no stranger to the public eye. The former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria served as Minister of Power under President Bola Tinubu before resigning in April 2026. He is currently a leading governorship aspirant of the All Progressives Congress in Oyo State, having previously contested in 2019 and 2023. His grandfather, Adegoke Adelabu, was a towering political figure in Ibadan’s history. The family’s deep roots in the city make this abduction all the more unsettling for residents who once considered the metropolis a relative safe haven.
Rising Insecurity in Oyo State
This kidnapping is not an isolated incident. In December 2025, APC chieftain Wale Oriade was abducted at his office along the Akala Expressway and spent 39 days in captivity before regaining his freedom. In May 2026, over 40 teachers and students were kidnapped in Ahoro-Esinele, Oriire Local Government Area, in a coordinated attack that left one teacher dead. The pattern is clear: criminals are no longer confining their operations to the highways and forests of the North. They have brought the fight to the doorsteps of prominent families in the South-West.
For now, the Adelabu family waits, hoping that security operatives will deliver on their promise of a swift rescue. But for many Ibadan residents, the question is no longer if another kidnapping will happen. It is when.
