GUNMEN have kidnapped the sister of former Minister of Power and 2027 Oyo State governorship aspirant, Adebayo Adelabu, alongside her twin children in Ibadan, Oyo State capital.
The incident reportedly occurred on Wednesday, June 3, in the Challenge area of Ibadan South-West Local Government Area, where eyewitnesses said the victims were attacked and whisked away while leaving their residence.
The Nigeria Police Command in the state, shortly after the incident, said in a statement made available to The ICIR that it mobilised officers from its tactical unit to hunt down the abductors after receiving a report of the incident.
It added that the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Challenge Division, alongside other operational units, was deployed to the area where the victim’s vehicle was later recovered.
According to the police, the car recovery could support investigations into the circumstances surrounding the attack.
Also, a statement issued by Adelabu’s media aide, Femi Awogboro, said the abduction occurred at about 7:30 a.m. in the Elewura, Challenge area.
He said the family was intercepted by armed men who operated swiftly and fled with the victims.
“Adelabu’s younger sister, together with her twin (Peter and Paul), were kidnapped this morning (Wednesday) by unknown gunmen at Elewura, Challenge, Ibadan.
“The family members were going out this morning from Elewura to link the express when they were attacked and whisked away by the unknown kidnappers,” he said in the statement.
The family also urged the public to provide any useful information that could assist the rescue effort by promptly sharing such intelligence with the relevant security agencies through appropriate channels.
The latest abduction adds to a growing pattern of violent attacks and kidnappings in Oyo State and other parts of Nigeria.
Earlier this week, the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) staged nationwide protests across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory over the killing of a teacher and the abduction of pupils and staff in Oyo State.
The ICIR reports that the protests followed coordinated school attacks in Oriire Local Government Area, where armed men invaded multiple schools, killing a teacher and abducting dozens of pupils and staff.
Eyewitness accounts showed that the attackers arrived on motorcycles, split into groups, and stormed the schools simultaneously, firing shots to disperse students and staff before whisking victims into nearby forests.
The incident triggered widespread outrage, with teachers, civil society groups, and residents demanding stronger protection for schools and urgent rescue efforts.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M