The Oyo State Government on Monday demolished a three-bedroom bungalow in the Lako Community along the Aiyegun–Anaye Road axis of Ibadan, Oyo State, used by abductors of a former minister of power and All Progressives Congress’ governorship aspirant, Adebayo Adelabu’s sister and her twin sons.

The demolition of the building was executed by officials of the state Ministry of Public Works and Transportation, together with officers of the state police command. 

The Peoples Gazette reports that the exercise was part of state government tenacious efforts to rid the state of kidnapping and other criminal acts.  

The government noted that the demolition foregrounded its resolve to tackling insecurity and frustrate criminal gangs operating in the state. 

It stressed its determination to deal with identified perpetrators of crimes in accordance with the law including facilities used to facilitate such criminal acts.  

Recall that on Wednesday, June 3, at 7:30am kidnappers waylaid Adelabu’s sister, Olaide Busayo Adegoke John-Paul while driving her 12-year-old twins sons, Peter and Paul, to school, at Elewura in the Challenge area of Ibadan, forced them into their car and drove away.

The victims were however rescued during a 7:30pm operation on Saturday, June 6, by operatives of the Force Intelligence Department–Intelligence Response Team (FID-IRT) alongside the state police command and other tactical units who stormed the kidnappers’ hideout. 

Two suspected kidnappers were killed in the operation and two suspects arrested.  

The police in a statement stated that a staff member of the victims’ household named Segun was recruited to monitor their movements and school routines including another gang member, Kelechi, who came from Lagos, positioned as lookout and opened fire on the police operatives as they approached the building on Saturday night.  

The state Commissioner of Police, Abimbola Olugbenga, who lead his team and journalists to the location on Sunday, described the raid as a decisive strike which dismantled a kidnapping syndicate terrorising parts of Ibadan.

He named those arrested as Wale Abolalewa, alias “Oloro,” said to have been on the command’s watchlist, Dare Oyedele, alias “Solution,” including two alleged facilitators of the hideout, Semiu Ishola, 39 and 35-year-old Adeyemi Ayobami. 

The CP added that exhibits recovered from the hideout were three pump-action guns, 14 live cartridges, an unregistered ash-coloured Toyota Corolla used for the abduction of Mrs John-Paul and her sons, charms, a hammer, axe, hard drugs and two face masks.

The development came as the over 39 pupils and seven teachers abducted on May 15 by bandits in three schools in the Oriire Local Government Area of the state are still in captivity.

Protests have rocked states with civil rights groups and the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) among others demanding timely rescue of the hostages.