Police uncover child-stealing syndicate, rescue 17 children

The Oyo State Police Command has uncovered a suspected child-stealing and trafficking syndicate operating across states, rescuing 17 children and arresting seven suspects in connection with the investigation.

The Commissioner of Police, Abimbola Olugbenga, disclosed this during a press briefing at the command headquarters in Eleyele, Ibadan, on Monday.

Olugbenga said the breakthrough followed an intelligence-led investigation that began with a petition but later exposed a wider criminal network involved in the alleged stealing, movement, sale and concealment of children.

He said the investigation also uncovered allegations of other criminal activities, including the reported use of deceased children for ritual purposes.

The CP said, “What commenced as an investigation into a petition has, through painstaking investigative work, uncovered a wider network extending beyond Oyo State, resulting in the rescue of 17 children and the arrest of seven suspects.

“The investigation has revealed a disturbing pattern involving the identification, movement, sale and concealment of children, alongside other serious criminal activities.”

According to Olugbenga, the investigation commenced following a petition dated July 29, 2026, submitted by Adejoke Popoola, also known as Orente Alagbo, of the Sogade area of Ariyo, Ibadan.

He said the petition, which bordered on alleged conspiracy, cyberbullying, threat to life and defamation of character, was assigned to the Anti-Kidnapping Squad on August 3.

The CP said while investigating the petition, detectives were drawn to the disappearance of a three-year-old child, Ifakunle Ifagbenro, who reportedly went missing during an annual masquerade festival in Oyo Town on June 29.

He said the child had accompanied his father to the festival at his father-in-law’s family compound, while Popoola had arrived two days earlier to participate in preparations for the event.

According to him, Popoola offered to carry the child during the event but shortly afterwards disappeared from the venue with him.

The matter was subsequently reported at the Atiba Police Divisional Headquarters in Oyo Town.

Olugbenga said detectives reviewed photographs and video recordings from the event, which showed Popoola carrying the child.

He said people identified through the digital trail were invited for questioning, adding that their statements established that Popoola was with the child around the time of his disappearance.

The CP said Popoola was arrested on August 4 and allegedly admitted attending the masquerade festival and leaving with the missing child.

He said her statement provided the first major breakthrough in the investigation, as she allegedly disclosed her involvement in the stealing of more than 15 children, aged between two and seven, from churches, parties and other event venues within and outside Oyo State.

According to the CP, Popoola also identified one Adekanbi Janet, also known as Hosanna, as her alleged partner.

Janet was subsequently traced to Mowe, Ogun State, where police allegedly rescued four children aged between two and four and two pregnant young women from her custody.

Olugbenga said Janet admitted knowing Popoola for about 10 years and being aware of her alleged involvement in the stealing and sale of children, although she denied having custody of Ifakunle.

He added that Janet allegedly disclosed that some stolen children were kept in custody pending their sale, while the pregnant women were cared for until they gave birth.

Her information, he said, also provided detectives with clues that led to the rescue of Ifakunle around the Gbagi area of Ibadan on August 20.

The CP further said detectives travelled to Agbor, Delta State, on September 2, where four children allegedly stolen from Oyo State were rescued from persons suspected to have bought them.

He said two suspects, identified as Christopher Joy, 48, and Rosemary Jesse, 53, were arrested in connection with the case and allegedly confessed to their involvement.

According to Olugbenga, the development confirmed the interstate dimension of the suspected trafficking network and showed that children were allegedly being moved outside Oyo State as part of the criminal enterprise.

The CP also alleged that the suspects confessed that when a child died in their custody, the body would be sold to suspected ritualists.

He said the revelation led to the arrest of Muritala Fasasi, an Alfa, and Yakubu Azeez, a herbalist, who allegedly confessed to using the remains for ritual purposes.

The police boss said the command had so far rescued 17 children in connection with the investigation.

He, however, said six other children reportedly died while in the custody of their alleged abductors.

The deceased children were identified by the command as Musharaf Lawal Tajudeen, two; Greatness Adeagbo, five; Sainat Amoo, two; Taiwo Usman, two; Daniel Solomon Olayinka, seven; and Miracle Olaniyi, four.

Olugbenga called on parents and guardians who had lost their children in recent times to visit the command headquarters in Eleyele, Ibadan, to identify the rescued children and facilitate their reunification with their families.

He said the command was working with relevant security and government agencies to unravel the full structure of the suspected network, locate other missing children, establish the circumstances surrounding the reported deaths and prosecute those found culpable.

“The public is urged to remain vigilant and to quickly report any case of missing children to the police without delay,” he said.

“Parents and guardians should also exercise caution when engaging persons who present themselves as traditional or spiritual healers, particularly where they seek to separate children from their families or take them to undisclosed locations.”

Olugbenga urged members of the public with credible information that could assist the investigation to contact the police, assuring that such information would be handled professionally and, where necessary, confidentially.

“The Oyo State Police Command remains committed to protecting children and other vulnerable persons, dismantling criminal networks and ensuring that justice is served in accordance with the law,” he added.