Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has strongly condemned the kidnapping of the sister and twin nephews of the former Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, in Ibadan. He stated that the incident is clear evidence that the worsening insecurity in Nigeria leaves no one safe under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

The Incident

On Wednesday morning, June 3, 2026, armed gunmen intercepted 43-year-old Olaide Busayo Adegoke John-Paul (Adelabu’s younger sister) while she was driving her 12-year-old twin sons, Peter and Paul, to school. The attack took place around 7:30 a.m. at the highly populated and recognizable Challenge Bus Stop in Ibadan. Witnesses reported that the assailants smashed the car window and forcefully drove off with the mother and her children.

Atiku’s Critique of the Tinubu Administration

Through a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku expressed deep solidarity with the Adelabu family while leveraging the tragedy to criticize the current presidency’s security track record:

• Pervasiveness of Crime: Atiku pointed out that the brazen location of the kidnapping—in broad daylight at a bustling major transit hub—shows how bold criminal syndicates have become.
• Political Disregard: He argued that insecurity has become completely blind to political lines, stating that “kidnappers do not ask for party membership cards before striking”. He questioned whether the administration would finally wake up now that violence has reached the doorstep of one of its own prominent figures.
• Call for Strategy Over “Palliatives”: Atiku urged President Tinubu to abandon what he called a “reactive approach” and instead implement an intelligence-driven strategy to dismantle these syndicates and restore public trust.

“Sadly, insecurity has become so pervasive that no one is truly insulated from its consequences… Any government unable to guarantee the safety of its citizens has failed in one of its most fundamental obligations.”

— Atiku Abubakar

Broader Context

The incident strikes a raw nerve in Oyo State, which is already reeling from a massive security crisis. Just weeks prior, the abduction of nearly 40 pupils and seven teachers in the Oriire Local Government Area triggered an ongoing indefinite strike by the Oyo State chapter of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT).

The Oyo State Police Command has confirmed that an intensive investigation is underway, and security operatives are actively deployed to secure the safe rescue of the Adelabu family members.