OYO POLICE BUST INTERSTATE CHILD-TRAFFICKING NETWORK, RESCUE 17 CHILDREN

The Oyo State Police Command has uncovered a suspected child-stealing and trafficking network operating across several states, leading to the rescue of 17 children and the arrest of seven suspects. The breakthrough followed an intelligence-led investigation that began with a petition but eventually exposed what police described as a wider criminal operation involving the alleged abduction, movement, sale and concealment of children. Commissioner of Police Abimbola Olugbenga disclosed the development during a press briefing at the command headquarters in Eleyele, Ibadan.

According to the police, the investigation uncovered the alleged disappearance of three-year-old Ifakunle Ifagbenro during a masquerade festival in Oyo town on June 29. Investigators reportedly traced the child to Adejoke Popoola, popularly known as Orente Alagbo, who was arrested on August 4. Police alleged that Popoola confessed to stealing more than 15 children between the ages of two and seven from churches, parties and other public gatherings. Her alleged associate, Adekanbi Janet, also known as Hosanna, was later arrested in Mowe, Ogun State, where four children and two pregnant young women were reportedly found in her custody.

The investigation subsequently extended beyond Oyo and Ogun states to Delta State. Police said the missing Ifakunle was eventually rescued from the Gbagi area of Ibadan on August 20, while four other children allegedly stolen from Oyo were recovered in Agbor, Delta State, on September 2. Two alleged buyers, identified as Christopher Joy, 48, and Rosemary Jesse, 53, were arrested in connection with the recovery. The development, according to the command, confirmed that the suspected operation had an interstate dimension rather than being confined to one location.

Police said the investigation also produced disturbing allegations concerning children who allegedly died while in the custody of members of the network. The suspects reportedly alleged that some deceased children were sold to suspected ritualists, prompting the arrest of Muritala Fasasi, an Alfa, and Yakubu Azeez, a herbalist, over alleged links to ritual-related activities. Authorities stressed that investigations are still ongoing as detectives work to establish the full extent of the network and identify other people who may have been involved.

The Oyo Police Command has appealed to parents and guardians whose children have gone missing to report to the authorities and visit the command headquarters in Eleyele to assist with identification of the rescued children. The police also warned members of the public against handing children over to individuals claiming to be traditional or spiritual healers, particularly where such persons demand that children be taken away or kept in undisclosed locations. The command said it would continue working with relevant security and government agencies to trace other missing children and ensure that suspects found culpable face prosecution.