Lagos moves to ease adoption process as police arrest child trafficking syndicate

The Lagos State government has expressed its commitment to simplifying the adoption process to discourage illegal child trafficking.

The State Commissioner for Youth and Social Development, Mr Mobolaji Ogunlende, made this known while addressing concerns about the lengthy procedures that many have blamed for the rise in child trafficking.

Ogunlende, speaking at the Zone 2 Police Command Headquarters, Onikan, Lagos, acknowledged the public’s frustration with the nine-step legal adoption process. He assured that the government is working to reduce the time frame required for adoption, while maintaining the rigorous safeguards necessary to ensure children are placed in safe and appropriate homes.

“We are working tirelessly to streamline the process while adhering to the standards needed to protect children. Adoption requires careful procedures to ensure the safety and well-being of the children involved,” Ogunlende said. He also warned against patronising child traffickers and called for community collaboration to curb the menace.

This development comes as the Zone 2 Police Command arrested eight suspects for alleged involvement in a notorious child trafficking syndicate. The police also rescued five children, aged between one and six, from the suspects and handed them over to the Lagos State Ministry of Youth and Social Development.

According to the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Zonal CID, Zone 2, Mr Ajao Adewale, the arrests followed an intelligence report received on January 8, 2025. The report exposed the activities of a syndicate specialising in the sale of newborns, toddlers, and other young children.

The syndicate, Adewale revealed, was operated by a network of individuals: Sunday Okputu, alleged to be the primary supplier of children, and Chioma Ibezim, who acted as the middleman, canvassing buyers.

Another key figure, Chinasa Echelibe, was responsible for caring for the children before their delivery to buyers.

Adewale disclosed that the police team, led by CSP Ngozi Braide, rescued five children, including one-year-old Marvellous Obi, who was sold to Chioma Ibezim when he was barely a week old. Marvellous was later resold to a couple residing in Italy.

Another victim, three-year-old Promise Ifekwuna, was sold in 2021 for N500,000. Similarly, one-year-old Somtochukwu Onyemaechi was sold for N1.5 million by his biological mother, Faith Sunday, through the syndicate.

Somtochukwu was eventually recovered in Owerri, Imo State, from the custody of Helen Nwakuba, who claimed to be a nanny hired by her sister residing in California. Nwakuba was also found with three-year-old Chibuzornma Onyemaechi, who had been brought to her as a newborn.

In another case, six-year-old Praise Chukwudi Ibezim was purchased by Chioma Ibezim herself for N800,000 when he was a week old.

Investigations revealed that Okputu, the supplier, would go to any lengths, including stealing unattended children, to meet his clients’ demands.

One suspect, Ngozi Ifekwuna, claimed she bought a baby from a mother who could not care for the child after paying for her Caesarean section.