“There have been bringing the abductees here. They bring them here, people see them, even people greet them welcome sometimes,” the police commissioner said.
The Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Abimbola Olugbenga, on Sunday led journalists and security personnel to a residential premises in Araromi Quarters, Ayegun North, Oluyole Local Government Area, where kidnappers held Busayo John-Paul, the younger sister of former Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, and her twin sons before their rescue.
In a video seen by PREMIUM TIMES, the commissioner while addressing journalists at the scene, said preliminary investigations showed that the kidnappers had repeatedly used the location as a hideout and brought abducted victims to the area without attracting attention from residents.
Mr Olugbenga said the rescue operation was carried out through intelligence gathering and technical surveillance that enabled security operatives to trace the victims to the compound.
“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.”
He expressed concern that suspicious movements around the property allegedly went unreported despite the presence of residents in the neighbourhood.
“There have been bringing the abductees here. They bring them here, people see them, even people greet them welcome sometimes,” the police commissioner said.
“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.”
He said the kidnappers deliberately moved victims from urban centres to the secluded location where they could be hidden from public view while ransom negotiations and other activities continued.
“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,” he said. “You have seen this house is within a residential area. People have been seeing them coming in here without anybody reporting the conduct.”
According to him, victims rescued from the compound told investigators they could hear activities taking place in neighbouring buildings but were unable to leave the premises.
The commissioner urged residents across the state to promptly report unusual movements, suspicious tenants and other security concerns to authorities.
“Obviously, if you see something, say something. If they had done that, maybe we would have been able to arrest them before now,” he added.
The victims were rescued on Saturday during an operation conducted by operatives of the Force Intelligence Department–Intelligence Response Team (FID-IRT).
Police authorities said two suspected kidnappers were killed during a confrontation with operatives, while firearms were recovered from the gang.
The abduction of Mrs John-Paul and her children had generated widespread concern in Oyo State and prompted assurances from Governor Seyi Makinde that security agencies were intensifying efforts to secure their release.
While the victims have now reunited with their family, the police said investigations and follow-up operations linked to the kidnapping are continuing, with efforts ongoing to arrest other members of the syndicate believed to have escaped during the rescue operation.
