A kidnapping syndicate that abducted a woman and her twin sons in Ibadan allegedly monitored the family’s movements for weeks and attempted to recruit a household staff member before carrying out the operation, the Oyo State Police Command has revealed.
The disclosure was made during a press briefing by the command on Sunday, where police provided fresh details of the investigation that led to the arrest of four suspects, the killing of two gang members and the recovery of firearms, ammunition and other exhibits.
Police said preliminary findings showed that members of the gang had, in May 2026, sought to compromise a staff member attached to the family as part of plans to gain inside information on their intended target.
Investigators said the plot formed part of a broader surveillance operation during which the suspects closely monitored the family’s routines, movements and the schools attended by the children.
The command further disclosed that forensic examination of the suspects’ digital activities uncovered photographs of the victim’s vehicles, school environment and other personal details allegedly collected to profile and track the family before the abduction.
According to the police, intelligence gathered during the investigation led to the arrest of Wale Abolalewa, popularly known as “Oloro”, a suspect already on the command’s watchlist.
His arrest, detectives said, provided crucial leads that exposed the wider kidnapping network and led to the apprehension of another suspect, Dare Oyedele, also known as “Solution”, who was identified as a key operational member of the gang.
The police said intelligence subsequently traced the syndicate’s hideout to Lado community in the Ayegun area of Ibadan.
During a raid on the location on June 6, one of the gang members identified as Kelechi allegedly opened fire on operatives.
“Upon sighting the advancing operatives, one of the gang members identified as ‘Kelechi,’ who had travelled from Lagos State and was positioned as a lookout, engaged the operatives in a gun duel,” the police said.
“The operatives responded with superior tactical precision, resulting in the neutralization of Kelechi and another unidentified member of the gang.”
The command also announced the arrest of two other suspects, Semiu Ishola, 39, and Adeyemi Ayobami, 35, alleged to have facilitated the use of the criminal hideout.
Recovered items include three pump-action guns, 14 live cartridges, an unregistered ash-coloured Toyota Corolla allegedly used by the gang, charms, a battle axe, a hammer, face masks and substances suspected to be hard drugs.
Police said efforts were ongoing to apprehend other members of the syndicate believed to have escaped with gunshot wounds sustained during the operation.