The Presidency has waded into the controversy sparked by the rapid rescue of relatives of former Power Minister Adebayo Adelabu, pushing back firmly against accusations of selective treatment by security agencies and insisting that the Adelabu case and the ongoing abduction of schoolchildren and teachers in Ogbomoso represent fundamentally different security challenges.
The clarification came from Temitope Ajayi, Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Publicity, who addressed the growing online debate in a Facebook post, arguing that drawing a direct comparison between the two incidents reflects a misunderstanding of the distinct operational realities involved.
According to Ajayi, the kidnapping of Adelabu's sister, Mrs. Olaide Busayo Adegoke John-Paul, and her 12-year-old twin sons was allegedly the handiwork of an urban-based criminal gang motivated purely by financial gain — a profile that differs sharply from the armed groups operating deep within forest terrain believed to be behind the Ogbomoso abductions.
"Comparing both situations ignores the differences between city-based criminal activity and terror operations in remote locations, which require different security responses," he argued.
The presidential aide was equally emphatic in dismissing insinuations that the victims' rescue was prioritised because of their family's political connections, stressing that efforts to secure the release of all abduction victims remain actively ongoing regardless of the individuals' backgrounds or affiliations.
He urged Nigerians to celebrate the successful rescue operation while sustaining hope and prayers for the safe return of the Ogbomoso schoolchildren and their teachers still in captivity.
The Presidency's intervention follows widespread reactions on social media after the Nigeria Police Force confirmed that Adelabu's relatives were freed during a coordinated intelligence and tactical operation in which several suspects were apprehended — a development that, while celebrated, simultaneously reignited public frustration over the unresolved fate of the abducted pupils and educators in Oyo State.
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