Oyo police chief worried over neighbors' failure to report kidnappers' hideout after Adelabu's sister's rescue

Oyo State Police Commissioner Abimbola Olugbenga expressed deep concern Sunday over residents' failure to report suspicious activities at a compound used by kidnappers. He led journalists and security personnel to the Araromi Quarters, Ayegun North, Oluyole Local Government Area, where Busayo John-Paul, sister of former Minister of Power Adebayo Adelabu, and her twin sons were held before their rescue.

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After the incident on the third of this month, we deployed technical and intelligence resources and followed up on the information we received, which resulted in this operation. So it was purely through intelligence.

The victims were abducted on June 3 while Mrs. John-Paul was taking her sons to school. Security operatives rescued them on Saturday following intelligence gathering and technical surveillance. The police commissioner stated that the compound had repeatedly served as a hideout for kidnappers who brought victims there without attracting attention.

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When people see them and don’t talk, what do you want us to do? If they had been reporting suspicious events like this, none of these would have happened. We would have taken necessary steps on time.

"When people see them and don’t talk, what do you want us to do?" Olugbenga asked, emphasizing that timely reporting of suspicious events could have prevented the incident. He explained that kidnappers moved victims from urban areas to the secluded location to hide them during ransom negotiations. Victims reported hearing activity in neighboring buildings but were unable to escape.

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They will kidnap people from town and drive them here to hide them. They don’t want anybody to know the whereabouts of whoever is the victim.

The commissioner urged residents across the state to report unusual movements, suspicious tenants, and other security concerns promptly. "If you see something, say something," he advised, noting that earlier reports might have led to the kidnappers' arrest before the victims were harmed. Two suspected kidnappers were killed during the rescue operation.

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You have seen this house is within a residential area. People have been seeing them coming in here without anybody reporting the conduct.