Tinubu aide defends Adelabu family rescue, blasts critics over “terrorism mindset” claims

The Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Social Media, Dada Olusegun, has condemned critics questioning the swift rescue of the family of former Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, describing such views as reflective of a “terrorism mindset.”

Olusegun made the remarks in a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday while defending the Nigeria Police Force over the rescue of Adelabu’s sister, Olaide Adegoke, and her twin sons.

The victims were abducted on June 3 in Ibadan, Oyo State, and were rescued on June 6 following coordinated security operations.

In his posts, Olusegun strongly criticised individuals who suggested conspiracy theories or questioned the efficiency of the rescue operation, insisting that such commentary amounted to undermining the efforts of security agencies.

“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,” he wrote.

He added that while such individuals may not be carrying weapons, their mindset, according to him, aligns with that of terrorists.

“You may not be carrying weapons yet, but your mindset and theirs are essentially the same,” he stated.

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Olusegun also accused some commentators of politicising the incident, alleging that they were using the kidnapping episode to advance political interests rather than focusing on the plight of victims.

“Like I said, these soulless individuals do not care about the kidnapped kids in Ogbomoso,” he wrote, adding that some critics were allegedly using insecurity incidents as “political ammunition.”

He further dismissed comparisons between the current administration and past opposition-era criticisms of insecurity, arguing that the present government had not engaged in celebrating misfortunes of others while 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 said.

The comments have sparked renewed debate online, with reactions divided between those praising the swift intervention of security operatives and others questioning the consistency of response times in kidnapping cases across Oyo State and other parts of the country.

Some critics argued that high-profile victims tend to receive faster and more visible rescue efforts compared to ordinary citizens, citing previous abductions in areas such as Ogbomoso where responses were perceived as slower.

Security agencies have not officially responded to the controversy, but the rescue operation has continued to generate public discussion around insecurity, response effectiveness, and equity in law enforcement interventions.