The Nigeria Police Force has rescued a woman and her 12-year-old twin sons who were abducted in Ibadan, Oyo State, three days after armed gunmen snatched them on their way to school.
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Mrs Busayo Adelabu-John Paul and her sons, Peter and Paul, were freed on Saturday evening following a coordinated operation by the Force Intelligence Department’s Intelligence Response Team (FID-IRT). The police confirmed the rescue in a statement issued Sunday by Force Public Relations Officer DCP Anthony Placid.
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According to Placid, operatives tracked the kidnappers through sustained intelligence gathering and surveillance before moving in around 7:30 p.m. Two suspected kidnappers were fatally wounded in the ensuing confrontation, and two rifles were recovered at the scene. The three victims were rescued unharmed and are currently receiving medical care.
Inspector-General of Police Tunji Disu commended the operatives for their “courage, professionalism, and effectiveness,” saying their commitment was decisive in securing the safe return of the hostages.
The police added that the manhunt for fleeing members of the kidnapping syndicate remains active. “Preliminary intelligence indicates that some suspects escaped with gunshot injuries,” Placid said, noting that operations are ongoing to track and arrest all those involved.
Mrs Adelabu-John Paul is the younger sister of Abiodun Adelabu, the immediate past Minister of Power and a prominent APC figure in Oyo State. She and her sons were seized in the early hours of June 3 when gunmen intercepted her vehicle at the Elewura area of Challenge in Ibadan as she drove the boys to school. The abduction had sent shockwaves through both the family and the state’s political community.
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