Tinubu Aide Defends Adelabu Rescue, Slams “Soulless” Critics
A renewed dispute over Nigeria’s uneven security response has erupted after Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Social Media, Dada Olusegun, condemned critics who questioned the swift rescue of the family of former Power Minister Adebayo Adelabu, equating their mindset with that of terrorists.
Olusegun made the remarks in a series of posts on X on Sunday, defending the Nigeria Police Force after operatives rescued Olaide Adegoke, Adelabu’s sister, and her twin sons. The victims were abducted on Wednesday, June 3, while Mrs John-Paul was driving her children to school in Ibadan and regained freedom on June 6.
“If you find yourself unhappy about the rescue of a woman and her children and jump on every conspiracy to try and downplay the efforts of law enforcement, just know you’re already a terrorist,” Olusegun wrote. “You may not be carrying weapons yet, but your mindset and theirs are essentially the same.”
He went further, targeting individuals he accused of politicising the abduction, describing them as “soulless” and alleging they sought political gain from the family’s ordeal. “Like I said, these soulless individuals do not care about the kidnapped kids in Ogbomoso, and this particular cretin couldn’t contain his joy over Adelabu’s sister and kids being kidnapped,” he said, while quoting another user. “For them, this is political cannon fodder that they can use to bulldoze their perpetual loser of a candidate into office.”
Olusegun also pushed back against claims that the governing party criticised insecurity and undermined rescue efforts during its years in opposition. “Never in our time in opposition did we celebrate gleefully and shamelessly the misfortunes of those who don’t agree with us,” he wrote. “You lots are soulless, and your justification today for losing your humanity is that ‘some people may have done it 12 years ago’.”
The rescue itself drew official praise. The operation was carried out on Saturday evening by operatives of the Force Intelligence Department Intelligence Response Team following an intensive intelligence-led operation, with the victims freed at about 7:30 p.m. Two suspected kidnappers were killed during the confrontation, and firearms were recovered.
A separate defence came from Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi. In a post on his verified Facebook page, Ajayi argued that comparisons between the Adelabu case and the abduction of schoolchildren and teachers in Ogbomoso were misplaced, insisting the circumstances differed significantly. “We should be happy that the woman and his twins are safely home while we pray for quicker rescue of those still in the bush with their abductors,” he said.
The episode reignited public debate over fairness in security operations. Social media users compared the swift rescue with other unresolved kidnapping cases in Oyo State and across the country, with critics arguing that high-profile victims often receive faster attention than ordinary citizens still held in captivity.