The Oyo State Police Command has accused a personal assistant to a member of former Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu’s family, of conspiring with the abductors of the ex-minister’s sister and her twin sons.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Olayinka Ayanlade, was reported to have said this in 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.
They were later rescued in a coordinated police operation that resulted in the killing of two suspected kidnappers and the arrest of some accomplices.
Ayanlade said the rescue operation 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 called Ololu, had been on the watch list of the command before his arrest.
“Definitely, one of the perpetrators popularly called Ololu by name has been on the command watch list. “The operatives continued to follow him until his arrest on Thursday.”
He added that another suspect identified as Dare and popularly called Solution, was arrested in Ibadan following Ololu’s arrest and interrogation.
‘Inside Information From Personal Assistant’
One of the suspects allegedly approached a personal assistant connected to the family for information about the plot to kidnap them in May, the police spokesman said.
He told of the aide, Shehu.
“The one who was with the family, who happened to be a personal assistant by name Shehu was one of those who were picked,” Ayanlade said.
“He was the one that was first approached by Daddy to give them inside information of how the family lives, their lifestyle, their routine and all of that.”
The suspects had profiled the victims’ movements and had originally planned to abduct the mother of the family, he said.
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.
