The Oyo State Police Command has accused a personal assistant to a member of the family of former Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, of conspiracy with the abductors of the sister of the ex-minister and her twin sons.
This was contained in a statement by the Police Public Relations Officer, Olayinka Ayanlade, during an interview with Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Monday.
The victims, Mrs Olaide Busayo Adegoke John-Paul and her 12-year-old twin sons, Peter and Paul, were seized on June 3 along Elewura, Ring Road, Ibadan, while she was taking them to school.
In a coordinated police operation, they were later rescued and two suspected kidnappers were killed while some accomplices were arrested.
The rescue operation, according to Ayanlade, was carried out on the directive of the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, and was coordinated by the Oyo State Commissioner of Police in collaboration with operatives of the Force Intelligence Department’s Intelligence Response Team.
He said one of the suspects popularly known as Ololu, had been on the command’s watch list before his arrest.
One of the perpetrators popularly known as Ololu by name has been on the command watch list. Operatives continued to follow him until he was arrested Thursday.
He said another suspect, identified as Dare, popularly called Solution, was arrested in Ibadan following Ololu’s arrest and interrogation.
‘Personal Assistant’s Insider Knowledge’
In May, one of the suspects allegedly approached a personal assistant associated with the family for information about the plot to kidnap them, the police spokesman said.
He mentioned the aide, Shehu.
“One of those picked was the one that was with the family who happened to be a personal assistant by name Shehu,” Ayanlade said.
“Daddy approached him first to give them inside information of how the family lives, their lifestyle, their routine and all of that.
He said the suspects had profiled the victims’ movements and had initially planned to abduct the mother of the family.
The kidnappers later changed their plan after discovering that a driver usually took the children to school, Ayanlade said.
The gang eventually struck on the day Mrs John-Paul personally drove the children, he said.
“Our first plan was to abduct the mother,” Ayanlade told the BBC. However, they realized it was the driver who usually takes them to school, and they changed their plan to go for the kids.
Too bad for them. That day it was the mother who took them to school, and they got to work.
The police spokesman said the victims were traced to a hideout at Ayegbule, Ibadan on June 6 around 7.30pm.
He said one of the gang members identified as Kelechi, who allegedly travelled from Lagos to participate in the operation, opened fire on police operatives.
“The operatives returned fire and neutralised him and another suspect who was providing cover fire,’’ Ayanlade said.
“They opened fire on the operatives. Then the operatives professionally and with tactical precision neutralised him and the second who was also there to give a covering fire for him,” he said.
They recovered weapons and rescued the victims unharmed, he said.
“The investigation is still on-going,” Ayanlade said when asked if the kidnapping was politically motivated or for ransom.
He said police would not pre-empt the outcome of the investigation.
“I do not want to preempt the investigation,” he said. The investigation continues. The suspects have been taken into custody by police. They are under investigation.
“We’re still on the trail of the rest of them that got away. Of course, we realised that the day this incident happened, four of them were in the vehicle. But there are six in number who did this.”
The police spokesman said the command would get to the root of the matter and arrest all those involved in the abduction
“Whoever is sponsoring them, whoever is responsible, whatever connections they have, whoever is involved in this, they all will be arrested and they will face the full wrath of the law,” he said.
