The Oyo State Police Command says it has uncovered an interstate child-stealing and trafficking network, rescuing 17 children and arresting seven suspects in an investigation that also revealed the alleged deaths of six other children while in the custody of the suspects.
The Commissioner of Police, Abimbola Olugbenga, disclosed this on Monday during a press briefing at the command headquarters in Eleyele, Ibadan, saying the investigation began with a petition but later exposed a wider criminal network allegedly involved in the stealing, movement, sale and concealment of children.
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Mr Olugbenga said the investigation also uncovered allegations that the remains of children who died in the custody of their alleged abductors were sold to suspected ritualists.
“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,” Mr Olugbenga said.
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He said the investigation initially began with a petition dated 29 July submitted by Adejoke Popoola of Sogade area of Ariyo in Ibadan, over alleged conspiracy, cyberbullying, threat to life and defamation of character. The petition, however, was assigned to the command’s Anti-Kidnapping Squad on August 3.
According to the police’s statement, detectives investigating the petition became aware of the disappearance of a three-year-old boy, Ifakunle Ifagbenro, who went missing during an annual masquerade festival in Oyo town on 29 June.
It stated that the boy had accompanied his father to the festival at his father-in-law’s family compound, while Ms Popoola had arrived two days earlier to participate in preparations for the event.
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Mr Olugbenga said Ms Popoola offered to carry the child during the festival but later disappeared from the venue with him, prompting a report at the Atiba Police Divisional Headquarters in Oyo.
He said detectives reviewed photographs and videos from the event and traced people identified through the digital trail.
Ms Popoola was arrested on 4 August in Oyo State and allegedly admitted attending the festival and leaving with the missing child, the police said.
Her statement, according to the police, became a 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.
More suspects arrested in Ogun, Delta
The police said Ms Popoola also identified Janet Adekanbi, also known as Hosanna, as her alleged accomplice.
Mrs Adekanbi was subsequently traced to Mowe in Ogun State, where police allegedly rescued four children aged between two and four and two pregnant young women from her custody.
Mr Olugbenga said Adekanbi admitted knowing Ms Popoola for about 10 years and being aware of her alleged involvement in the stealing and sale of children, although she denied having Ifakunle in her custody.
He said Ms Adekanbi also allegedly disclosed that some stolen children were kept pending their sale, while the pregnant women were cared for until they gave birth.
Information obtained from Ms Adekanbi, the police said, helped detectives locate Ifakunle around the Gbagi area of Ibadan on 20 August.
The police command also stated that investigation subsequently extended beyond Oyo State, with police detectives travelling to Agbor in Delta State, on 2 September, where additional four children allegedly stolen from Oyo State were rescued.
Additional two suspects, Joy Christopher, 48, and Rosemary Jesse, 53, were also arrested in connection with the case and allegedly confessed to their involvement, according to the police statement.
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“This development confirmed the interstate dimension of the criminal network and established that children were being moved beyond Oyo State for purposes connected with the criminal enterprise,” the Commissioner of Police said.
Six children allegedly sold to ritualists, died
The investigation also spotlighted a darker side of the case, with the police revealing that the death of children.
The police said suspects disclosed that the children who died in their custody were allegedly sold to suspected ritualists.
The revelation led to the arrest of Muritala Fasasi, and Yakubu Azeez, a herbalist, who the police said allegedly confessed to using the remains for ritual purposes.
The command said six children allegedly died while in the custody of their alleged abductors.
They were identified as Musharaf Lawal Tajudeen, 2; Greatness Adeagbo, 5; Sainat Amoo, 2; Taiwo Usman, 2; Daniel Solomon Olayinka, 7; and Miracle Olaniyi, 4.
The commissioner of police said the command had so far rescued 17 children in connection with the investigation, while efforts were ongoing to establish the full structure of the suspected network and locate other missing children.
He urged parents and guardians who had lost children in recent times to visit the command headquarters in Eleyele, Ibadan, to identify the rescued children and facilitate their reunification with their families.
“The command is working with other relevant security and government agencies to identify the full structure of the network, locate other missing children, establish the circumstances surrounding the reported deaths and ensure that all persons found culpable are brought to justice,” Mr Olugbenga 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.”
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