…As Police parade suspects

Six children allegedly abducted by a suspected child-stealing and human trafficking syndicate have died in captivity, while 17 others have been rescued and seven suspects arrested, the Oyo State Police Command has disclosed.

The command said the development followed an intelligence-led investigation into a criminal network allegedly involved in the stealing, trafficking and concealment of children across state boundaries.

The Commissioner of Police, Oyo State Command, Abimbola Ayodeji Olugbenga, disclosed this on Monday at a press briefing at the Police State Headquarters, Eleyele, Ibadan.

He said the investigation began with a petition dated July 29, 2026, submitted by Adejoke Popoola, also known as Orente Alagbo, of Sogade Area, Ariyo, Ibadan, over allegations of conspiracy, cyberbullying, threat to life and defamation of character.

The petition, he said, was assigned to the Anti-Kidnapping Squad on August 3.

Olugbenga said that while detectives were investigating the petition, they were alerted to the disappearance of a three-year-old boy, Ifakunle Ifagbenro, during an annual masquerade festival in Oyo town on June 29.

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

He said Popoola offered to carry the child during the festival, after which both of them disappeared from the venue.

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

The commissioner said pictorial and video materials from the event showed Popoola carrying the missing child, while digital trails and statements obtained from persons connected with the event further established that she was with the child around the time of his disappearance.

Popoola was arrested on August 4 and, according to Olugbenga, admitted attending the festival and subsequently leaving with the child.

He said her statement provided a major breakthrough into what investigators discovered to be a wider criminal network.

The suspect allegedly disclosed that she had participated in the stealing of more than 15 children, aged between two and seven years, from churches, parties and other event venues within and outside Oyo State.

She identified one Janet Adekanbi, also known as Hosanna, as her alleged partner.

Adekanbi was subsequently traced to Mowe, Ogun State, where police rescued four children aged between two and four years and recovered two pregnant young women.

Olugbenga said Adekanbi admitted knowing Popoola for about 10 years in connection with the alleged stealing and sale of children, although she denied having custody of Ifakunle.

According to him, Adekanbi disclosed that some of the stolen children were kept in custody pending their sale, while the pregnant women were allegedly cared for until delivery.

Information obtained from her later led detectives to Ifakunle, who was rescued around the Gbagi area of Ibadan on August 20.

The investigation subsequently extended beyond Oyo State.

The commissioner said detectives travelled to Agbor, Delta State, on September 2, where four children allegedly stolen from Oyo State were rescued from suspected buyers.

Two suspects, identified as 48-year-old Joy Christopher and 53-year-old Rosemary Jesse, were arrested and allegedly confessed to involvement in the illicit trade.

Olugbenga said the development confirmed the interstate dimension of the suspected network, with children allegedly moved from Oyo State to other parts of the country.

He also disclosed that the investigation uncovered an alleged ritual dimension to the activities of the syndicate.

According to him, one of the suspects confessed that whenever a child died in their custody, the body was allegedly sold to ritualists.

The disclosure led to the arrest of Muritala Fasasi, an Alfa, and Yakubu Azeez, a herbalist, whom the police accused of being involved in the alleged use of the bodies for ritual purposes.

The commissioner said one of the principal suspects, who reportedly operated under the nickname Orente, told investigators that she had stolen 13 children before her arrest.

According to the police, the suspect said she visited homes and, when she found nobody around, took children away.

She reportedly told investigators that the children were sold for between N500,000 and N600,000 and claimed to have been involved in the trade since October 2024.

The suspect also described how children were taken from venues where traditional or spiritual activities were being held by gaining the confidence of their parents.

In one instance, she reportedly claimed that she would approach parents of children with disabilities under the guise of offering healing assistance before taking the children away.

The six children reported dead were identified as Musharaf Lawal Tajudeen, two; Greatness Adeagbo, five; Sainat Amoo, two; Taiwo Usman, two; Daniel Solomon Olayinka, seven; and Miracle Olaniyi, four.

The 17 rescued children were identified as Ifakunle Ifagbenro, three; Musibau Olasupo, five; Sulaimon Osamo, seven; Murina Fidaus, three; Aminat Yusuf, three; Taiwo Olamilekan, three; a nine-day-old male infant; Rafiat Waheed Babalola, two; Quwiyat Alade, five; Rejoice Divine, three; Alhaji Divine, five; Eniolorunda, three; Victoria, three; Isoma Prince, three; Roqeeba, four; Boluwatife Odedeyi, three; and Ireoluwa Elizabeth Olapade, seven.

The command appealed to parents and guardians who had lost children in recent times to visit its headquarters at Eleyele, Ibadan, to identify the rescued children and facilitate their reunification with their families.

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

He urged members of the public to report cases of missing children to the police without delay.

The commissioner also cautioned parents and guardians to be wary of individuals who present themselves as traditional or spiritual healers, particularly those who seek to separate children from their families or take them to undisclosed locations.

He appealed to anyone with credible information that could assist the investigation to contact the police, assuring that such information would be treated professionally and, where necessary, confidentially.