The Oyo State Government has pulled down a building in the Lakoun community, along the Ayegun-Olojuoro Road in Ibadan, identified by security agencies as a major kidnappers’ hideout and the base where relatives of former Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, were held.

The structure, a nondescript property tucked within a semi-rural stretch of the fast-growing corridor, was reportedly used to keep Adelabu’s younger sister, Mrs Olaide Adegoke John‑Paul, and her 12‑year‑old twin sons after they were abducted. They were rescued in a coordinated operation by security operatives, who traced the syndicate to the location.

Following the rescue, the Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Oluwagbemiga Abimbola, led a high-level security assessment of the site. Investigators concluded that the building had been purposefully adapted as a criminal hub, allegedly serving as both a holding cell for kidnap victims and a logistics base for the gang.

Authorities then moved in heavy equipment to level the property, a move government officials framed as both a security measure and a symbolic warning to criminal networks operating in and around Ibadan. Video clips shared on social media by local platforms showed excavators ripping through the structure as security personnel and residents watched.

Digital outlets Oyo Affairs and Oyo Matters circulated footage and photographs of the demolition, describing the building as the epicentre of the Adelabu family abduction. The images, which quickly went viral, captured piles of rubble where rooms and perimeter walls once stood, underscoring the government’s resolve to deny kidnappers any physical foothold.

Police sources confirmed that two suspected members of the kidnapping syndicate were shot dead during the rescue operation, while four others were arrested and later paraded at the State Police Headquarters in Eleyele, Ibadan. The suspects are believed to be part of a wider network that has exploited porous peri-urban communities for ransom kidnappings.

Security agencies have urged residents of Lakoun and neighbouring communities to remain vigilant and to report any suspicious movements, warning that some members of the gang may still be at large. The demolition, officials say, is intended to disrupt the group’s operations and reassure a public increasingly alarmed by high-profile abductions.