Armed men have abducted Mrs. Olaide Busayo Adegoke John-Paul, the younger sister of Nigeria’s former Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, alongside her 12-year-old twin sons in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
The incident occurred early Wednesday morning at approximately 7:30 a.m. in the Elewura area of Challenge, located within the Ibadan South West Local Government Area.
According to a statement released by Adelabu’s media aide, Comrade Femi Awogboro, the 43-year-old victim was driving her twin sons, Peter and Paul, out of their neighborhood to connect to the expressway for their school run when they were intercepted.
Gunmen suddenly blocked her vehicle and forcibly spirited the mother and her children away to an unknown destination.
Mrs. John-Paul, described as the youngest of five siblings, is a former employee of both the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and First Bank Pension Custodian. She had voluntarily retired last year and relocated to Ibadan to finalize arrangements to join her husband, who is based in the United States.
The family confirmed that law enforcement and state security agencies were immediately notified following the ambush and have since activated emergency rescue operations.
When contacted, the spokesperson for the Oyo State Police Command, CSP Olayinka Ayanlade, noted that while preliminary details were being processed, a formal verification and tactical response were underway.
The kidnapping has further heightened anxiety regarding the security landscape in Oyo State. The state is already managing an active security crisis following the mid-May mass abduction of dozens of primary and secondary school pupils and teachers in the Oriire Local Government Area, which recently triggered an indefinite strike by the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT).
Expressing profound trauma over the incident, the Adelabu family has appealed to members of the public to remain calm and support them with prayers.
They family urged social media users and the public to refrain from circulating unverified speculations or unconfirmed reports that could inadvertently compromise active security strategies and ongoing tracking efforts by the police.