Before being arrested by the operatives of the Force Intelligence Department-Intelligence Response Team (FID-IRT) and other tactical teams from the Oyo State Police Command, Segun Balogun, known as Alawaye, was a familiar face among drivers at the Motor Park in the Iwo Road Area of Ibadan, Oyo State, where he used to transport passengers. Little did many know, he chose a different way to earn money.
He applied his driving skills to assist a kidnapping gang he became part of, driving gang members to their operations and taking the victims to a ‘safe house’ that had been set up for them. He kept this secret until the gang's activities were fully revealed. Alawaye is among those arrested for their suspected involvement in the kidnapping of Mrs. Olaide Busayo Adegoke, the sister of former Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, along with her twin sons.
Segun confessed to having taken the gang leader, Adewale Abolarinwa, also known as Oloro, to the home of Adelabu’s extended family in preparation for the kidnapping that took place on June 3.
Segun, along with one of the associates of a politician (name withheld), shared how Oloro approached him for the kidnapping of the woman and her twin children.
It is important to remember that the victims of the kidnapping were rescued last Saturday from their captivity at Lako Community on Ayegun-Olomi Road, Ibadan, by police operatives following the directive of the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu.
The gang leader, Adewale Abolarinwa, also known as Oloro, along with Dare Oyedele, referred to as Solution, were also apprehended. It was reported that Solution was a well-known automobile electrical technician, particularly in the Orita Challenge area extending to Podo and nearby regions in Ibadan. He was said to run a business that provided space for other automobile technicians' workshops. Saturday Tribune found that many acquaintances of his are struggling to accept that Solution was involved in a kidnapping gang.
Police sources revealed that the plan to abduct the twins began on May 5, with surveillance set up on the twins' residence and their transportation to and from school. It was reported that Solution took on the role of surveillance officer for the gang, tracking the targeted twins. Intercepted communications between Oloro and Solution, captured by IRT operatives, showed the gang's readiness for the kidnapping operation.
Unbeknownst to the family of the twins, Solution was aware of the school they attended, the procedure for opening the gates when the car approached their home, and the specific vehicle with tinted windows. He noted the driver's attentiveness and was aware of when the grandmother (the ex-minister’s mother) was present in the compound.
In one of the intercepted messages, Solution described the children's school as luxurious, featuring air conditioning and high costs. Additionally, in a conversation with Oloro, he mentioned following the driver home to observe the environment where the targets lived, to which Oloro advised him not to delay their plans before they acted.
Further investigation into Solution revealed that he owned two properties in the Ayegun Community and was responsible for securing the caretaker from whom the gang rented the house that became their hideout. It was also found that his younger brother lived in the same area but had fled after the gang's activities were exposed. During a search, a pump-action gun was discovered in Solution’s residence, bringing the total number of firearms recovered from the gang to three.
Prior to the victims' rescue and the suspects' arrests, there were suspicions regarding Oloro's involvement in the ongoing kidnappings in Ibadan, which led to an intelligence operation focused on him, especially after he allegedly skipped bail following a previous kidnapping charge.
Since Alawaye was known to be a friend of Oloro, operatives from the Monitoring Unit reportedly approached him to inquire about Oloro's location. He claimed to have been trying to contact Oloro without success. However, the operatives noticed him attempting to delete information from his phone, prompting them to seize it for inspection. To their astonishment, they found a message regarding Oloro's attempt to purchase a gun, where Oloro informed Alawaye that the seller had refused to deliver the weapon after taking his payment.
Consequently, the operatives detained Alawaye for questioning, unaware that he was involved in the kidnapping that had occurred the day before his arrest. His connection to the crime was revealed two days later.
In an interview with Saturday Tribune from his cell, Segun, a 47-year-old native of Ibadan, disclosed his affiliation with the kidnapping gang: "I am a driver who transports passengers from Iwo Road Motor Park at the World Oil area. I didn’t initially join the gang's operations. I have known Oloro for over ten years through our transport union. At one point, he was arrested and imprisoned for some crimes. Later, we learned he was in Lagos.
"Eventually, he returned to Ibadan. One day in 2025, I encountered him at Iwo Road Motor Park. He provided me with his phone number and some money, and we began to communicate."
One day, the chairman of the transport union and I were talking about Oloro, curious about his current job. Previously, a police officer had informed us that Oloro had jumped bail. We reached out to him, and he came to meet us. We confronted him about his wrongdoings, and he assured us he would not repeat them. He even cursed himself, promising that if he committed a crime again, he would face dire consequences.
"Oloro began to visit the motor park regularly. We started discussing the upcoming elections and campaigns. In 2019, Oloro and I supported a candidate (name withheld). After he lost the governorship race, I distanced myself from the motor park.
"Now, in 2026/27, we decided to support the same candidate from 2019, and we kept in touch. However, there was a period when Oloro was unresponsive to my calls, claiming he was busy in Lagos. Upon his return to Ibadan, he stopped attending our political group meetings.
"Recently, Oloro joined the camp of the candidate who won the primary (name withheld), but I chose to remain with the previous aspirant (name withheld). Despite this, we continued to communicate. One day in May, while we were together, Oloro inquired if (Adebayo) Adelabu still had a mother, and I confirmed that she did. He then asked where she lived, and I provided the information. He requested that I take him to her house. We attended a declaration event at Liberty Stadium and then went to Adelabu’s mother’s residence.
"After showing him the house, Oloro revealed his plan to kidnap either Adelabu’s mother or one of his children, citing financial difficulties. He urged me to join him, noting that I was also struggling financially and not earning much from driving. He promised a good payment, and I agreed to participate, taking on the role of the driver for the kidnapping operation.
"On Tuesday, June 2, he called to inform me that the operation was scheduled for the next day. He specified the location where I would meet him along the expressway in the Soka area. After we met on Wednesday, we headed to the Podo area where Solution was based. From there, we proceeded to Challenge. There were four of us in the vehicle — Oloro, Solution, Kelechi, and myself. I was driving while the others wore masks. We parked for about 20 minutes, waiting for the car carrying the children to pass. Oloro believed that a driver would be with the children, and his target was the twins for ransom.
"When Oloro spotted the target vehicle, he instructed me to follow it and then to swerve and block it. He and the two others exited the car and forcibly took the mother and the children into our vehicle. I drove to Ayegun, parked, and got out, leaving the others behind. My heart raced with fear. Since that day, I have been unable to eat, only managing to drink water.
"On Thursday, a police officer and a member of our transport union contacted me and asked me to get into their police vehicle. They informed me they were searching for Oloro. I felt a surge of panic, but knowing he had other problems, I suggested we call him. We did, but he didn’t answer. Later, he sent me a voice note, which the police took from me. They discovered other voice notes where Oloro complained about a person who took his money for a gun without delivering it. That’s how the police concluded I was aware of Oloro’s gun purchase. I was arrested, and the police learned of my involvement in the kidnapping on Saturday when Oloro was apprehended.
The second suspect, Solution, shared his account: "I’m 43 years old, from Ishara Remo in Ogun State, but I live in Ibadan. I’m a member of the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) and trained in rewiring. I own a business called Solution Land Automobile Service. I met Oloro about a year ago. He was initially part of the OPC but was expelled due to a previous kidnapping case. I heard about him from other OPC members. He later moved to Lagos but would return to Ibadan. I’m not sure how he got my number, but he called me and we started talking. He worked as a cab driver in Lagos, and whenever he needed money, he would reach out to me for help.
"One day, he came to Ibadan and asked to meet at the Toll Gate on the Ibadan end of the Lagos-Ibadan expressway. He wanted to explore the city and asked if I could arrange a vehicle for him for about a week. I explained that I couldn’t help because it was our first meeting in person and the car I had was not mine; I was repairing a vehicle’s gear that needed to be tested for a week. However, I offered to accompany him wherever he wanted to go. That was last year.
He utilized his Corolla for the operation, which he purchased in the Gbagi area around seven months prior. He informed me about joining his kidnapping gang approximately six months ago, but he instructed me to follow him in my own vehicle. For instance, if he was heading to Iwo Road, he would tell me to wait in the Oremeji area. After some time, he would instruct me to make a U-turn. Occasionally, he would simply call and ask me to meet him at a well-known spot in Podo, Mokola, or another location. Each time we returned from these outings, I found myself questioning the purpose of the patrol.
"At that time, I was acquainted with two individuals he was with. One was TJ, who frequently traveled from Lagos to Ibadan, and the other was a commercial motorcyclist from the Apata area of Ibadan. I believe he introduced me to the operation after those two were no longer around. He expressed a desire to use my car, but upon seeing it, he deemed it too small. On Tuesday, June 2, he brought a Toyota Corolla belonging to Kelechi to my residence in Podo, which contained two pump-action guns.
"On Wednesday morning, Oloro arrived at my place in his own Toyota Corolla. He handed the key of the car that was brought to me the day before to Alawaye.
"During the operation, the three of us – Oloro, Kelechi, and I – wore masks. Alawaye did not wear a mask since he remained in the car. Oloro handed me an axe to hold while he and Kelechi carried the two pump-action guns. Oloro was responsible for breaking the side window of the vehicle carrying our victims. He opened the door and instructed me to grab one of the children sitting in the front, while Kelechi took the second child. Oloro was the one who forced the mother into the car.
"The individual who prepared food for the captives was a relative of Oloro. He did not accompany us on the operation, but it seemed he was always called upon to manage the feeding of the victims. Whenever Oloro required money, he would ask me to lend him some. I was unaware of the ransom amount demanded, as it was Oloro and Kelechi who would go collect it wherever the victims' families were instructed to leave it.
"Before the last operation I participated in, he once gave me N300,000 for following him with my car, and at another time, he provided me with N200,000.
"On Thursday, the day after the operation, I attempted to contact Oloro, but he did not answer my calls. The same happened on Friday. I was troubled by this but decided to move on with my life. I stayed home on Saturday but later went to Top One to unwind. While there, I messaged him to inquire why he was not answering my calls, but he did not reply right away. Eventually, he asked where I was, and I told him. He mentioned he would come to join me, just as the police arrived to arrest me. At that point, Oloro had not informed me of the amount I would receive as my share of the ransom once it was paid.
"I am unsure how I became involved in such a crime. I have a profitable business, and if God can save me from this situation, I will never engage in crime again."
Securing an interview with Oloro proved to be challenging. He has remained silent since Sunday when the Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Ayodeji Abimbola, briefed the media on the rescue of the victims and the arrest of suspects, two of whom were neutralized. It was reported that Oloro not only refused to speak but also rejected food and water, soiling himself with urine and feces in the cell where he was held. On Tuesday, Saturday Tribune learned that he was taken to the hospital due to his condition, but he refused to answer the doctor's questions regarding the treatment he required.
Oloro was said to have possessed numerous charms that were recovered from him. The FID-IRT operatives reported that he had so many charms that some were even discovered in his vehicle.
Among those arrested, Oloro was known to be heavily involved in criminal activities. On September 20, 2022, he was showcased by the Oyo State Police Command following his capture alongside his kidnap gang leader, BJ, by the Monitoring Unit. At that time, the pair, along with other suspects, had executed multiple kidnappings in Ibadan and Ogun State. In a confession made during an interview featured in the Saturday Tribune on September 24, 2022, Oloro admitted that prior to his arrest for kidnapping, he had been detained for carjacking at gunpoint, which led to his imprisonment. He claimed he regained his freedom through what he referred to as the "prerogative of mercy," which he alleged was granted to him by the judiciary.
Following his arraignment for kidnapping, Oloro, who identified as a Muslim and Ogun worshipper, along with another suspect, Aleshe, was remanded in custody while the case was being processed in court. However, it was reported that Aleshe was released on bail on April 26, 2024, due to a contagious illness he had, while the circumstances surrounding Oloro's bail remain unclear.
Nevertheless, Aleshe reportedly returned to his kidnapping activities less than a month after being granted bail, executing an operation on May 16, 2024. He continued his criminal activities until he was apprehended by the Anti-Kidnapping Squad in Ogun State. A reliable source informed the Saturday Tribune that Aleshe is currently incarcerated in Abeokuta.
(Source: Nigerian Tribune)
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