Relief and celebration swept through family members and residents on Saturday as security operatives successfully rescued Mrs. Olaide Busayo Adegoke John-Paul, younger sister of former Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, and her 12-year-old twin sons, Peter and Paul, from the clutches of kidnappers.<\/p>\n
But for the parents and family members of 46 other teachers and pupils kidnapped and kept in one of the forests in the state, it is not yet uhuru weeks after suspected bandits took them there, asking for a billion naira ransom money and an alteration of state laws.<\/p>\n
Saturday’s rescue followed days of intensive intelligence gathering and tactical operations after the victims were abducted on June 3, 2026, while travelling to drop the children at school.<\/p>\n
Confirming the development, Force Public Relations Officer, DCP Anthony Placid, disclosed that the operation culminated in a fierce exchange of gunfire between security personnel and the kidnappers. Two suspected members of the gang were neutralised, while two rifles were recovered at the scene.<\/p>\n
According to police authorities, sustained pressure mounted by security operatives forced the criminals into a confrontation that eventually led to the safe recovery of the hostages.<\/p>\n
\u201cDuring the confrontation, two suspected kidnappers were fatally wounded and two rifles were recovered. The victims were rescued unharmed and are now in safe custody, receiving medical care and support,\u201d the police spokesman stated.<\/p>\n
The Inspector-General of Police commended the officers involved in the operation, praising their courage, professionalism and determination in securing the victims\u2019 freedom.<\/p>\n
Security agencies have since launched an extensive manhunt for other members of the kidnapping syndicate who reportedly escaped into nearby forests, some believed to be nursing gunshot wounds.<\/p>\n
While the rescue has brought joy to the affected family, it also serves as a painful reminder that many other Nigerians remain in captivity across various forests and hideouts operated by criminal gangs.<\/p>\n
Across several states, schoolchildren, farmers, travellers and community residents are still being held by kidnappers awaiting rescue or release. Families of these victims continue to endure uncertainty, praying for the same breakthrough that returned Mrs. John-Paul and her sons safely home.<\/p>\n
It is observed that every successful rescue operation demonstrates that hostages can be recovered through coordinated intelligence-driven efforts. However, they stress that the battle is far from over as numerous abducted pupils and other victims remain trapped in forests across the country.<\/p>\n
For many, Saturday’s operation was more than a rescue mission – it was a symbol of hope. Yet beyond the celebrations lies a sobering reality: until the remaining captives are freed and kidnapping networks dismantled, countless families will continue to wait anxiously for the day their loved ones return home.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Relief and celebration swept through family members and residents on Saturday as security operatives successfully rescued Mrs. Olaide Busayo Adegoke John-Paul, younger sister of former Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, and her 12-year-old twin sons, Peter and Paul, from the clutches of kidnappers. But for the parents and family members of 46 other teachers […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":99220,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5807,7],"tags":[175,8397,611,1999,8398,982],"class_list":["post-99219","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-crime-and-violence","category-news","tag-adelabu","tag-john-paul","tag-oyo","tag-paul","tag-peter","tag-rescue"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99219","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=99219"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99219\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":99221,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99219\/revisions\/99221"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/99220"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=99219"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=99219"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=99219"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}