IBADAN, Oyo State — Police say they have found no link between the All Progressives Congress and the kidnapping of Mrs. Olaide Busayo Adegoke John-Paul, sister of former Minister of Power Bayo Adelabu, and her 11-year-old twin sons.
Instead, the Force Intelligence Department–Intelligence Response Team said findings point to suspects connected to Ajiboye Sangogade, personal assistant to Chief Adebayo Adelabu, according to police sources and exhibits recovered from crime scenes.
The Nigeria Police Force rescued Adegoke and her twins, Peter and Paul, on Saturday evening, June 6, 2026, three days after they were abducted June 3 in Ibadan while driving to school.
Operatives neutralized two suspects during a gun battle at a hideout in Lado community, Ayegun, Ibadan. Police said they recovered three pump-action rifles, 14 live cartridges, an unregistered ash-colored Toyota Corolla used in the abduction, criminal charms, a battle axe, hammer, suspected hard drugs and face masks.
At a press conference on Sunday, police displayed items recovered from suspects and said there was no sticker, logo or material linking the APC or Senator Sharafadeen Alli, the party’s Oyo governorship candidate, to the syndicate.
Investigators said all arrested suspects are allies linked to Sangogade, the ex-minister’s personal assistant.
Police identified suspects in custody as:
1. Wale Abolalewa, alias “Oloro,” a key syndicate member on police watchlist arrested and providing intelligence.
2. Dare Oyedele, alias “Solution,” described as the principal operational link involved in surveillance and execution.
3. Semiu Ishola, 39, an agent who contracted the Lado hideout.
4. Adeyemi Ayobami, 35, an agent who facilitated the hideout.
Kelechi and one unidentified gang member were killed during the raid after opening fire on operatives.
Police said a voice note attributed to a suspected girlfriend of Sangogade has surfaced. In the recording, she is heard telling another person on the phone that “they must ensure they pin this kidnapping incident and the suspects on Senator Alli.”
Security sources said the voice note, now in police custody, made earlier allegations linking Alli to the group “spurious, bunkum and bad politicking” aimed at tarnishing the reputation of the APC governorship contender ahead of the 2027 election.
An aide to Chief Adebayo Adelabu, who spoke on condition of anonymity, earlier alleged an “insider job,” naming Segun Alawaye and Oloro as ringleaders. He described both as political supporters of the ex-minister often seen with Sangogade.
Police said the gang conducted structured surveillance on the family, photographed vehicles and school environments, and attempted to recruit an insider, “Segun, a household staff member,” in May 2026.
The Oyo State Police Command said a manhunt for fleeing suspects, some believed to have gunshot injuries, is ongoing. The commissioner of police urged hospitals and clinics to report anyone with suspicious bullet wounds.
A senior officer said, “The investigation is ongoing to apprehend all collaborators. The suspects and their sponsors will face the full weight of the law. No sleep for the wicked.”
Senator Alli congratulated Chief Adebayo Adelabu on his sister’s release and urged police to prosecute all arrested suspects to deter future kidnappings.
In a statement by his media office, Alli appreciated security agencies for ensuring the release of the abductees and appealed for intensified efforts to free teachers and students recently kidnapped by bandits in schools at Ahoro Esiele and Yawota Ogbomoso in Oriire Local Government Area of the state.
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