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Many of the children rescued from abductors by the Oyo State Police Command have disclosed that it might be difficult, if not impossible, for them to remember where they hail from.

While noting that they were picked up by their abductors at different places, they called on police authorities to do everything humanly possible to locate their families.

The rescued children consist of 7 males and 10 females, aged 3 to 9 years.

The rescued children are Ifakunle Ifagenro (m), three years; Musibau Olasupo (m), five years; Sulaimon Osamo (m), seven years; Murina Fidaus (f), three years; Aminat Yusuf (m), three years; Taiwo Olamilekan (m), three years; Infant (m), nine days; Rafiat Waheed Babalola (f), two years; and Quwiyal Alade (f), five years.

Others are Rejoice Divine (f), three years; Alhaji Divine (m), five years; Eniolorunda (m), three years; Victoria (f), three years; Isoma Prince (f), three years; Roqeeba (f), four years; Boluwatife Odedeyi (f), three years; and Ireoluwa Elizabeth Olapade (f), seven years.

One of the suspects, Adejoke Popoola, the persons identified through the digital trail were also invited by the Police and, from their statements, admitted to having attended the masquerade festival and thereafter left with the missing child.

According to the police, her statement provided the first major breakthrough into the wider criminal network.

She disclosed that she had been involved in the stealing of more than 15 children between the ages of two and seven, from churches, parties and other event venues within and outside Oyo State.

She further disclosed one Adekanbi Janet, also known as Hosañna, as her partner in the business.

She was traced and arrested in Mowe, Ogun State, where four children between ages of two and four were rescued from custody, together with two pregnant young women.

In the course of the investigation, Adekanbi Janet, aka Hossana, also admitted knowing Adejoke for about 10 years of her involvement in the stealing and sale of children, although she denied having custody of Ifakunle.

She further revealed that some of the stolen children were kept in custody pending sale, while the pregnant young women would be cared for until delivery and subsequently provided clues on the whereabouts of Ifakunle, the missing child, which led to his rescue on 20 August 2026, around the Gbagi area, Ibadan.

On 2 September 2026, detectives also travelled to Agbor, Delta State, where four children stolen from Oyo State were rescued from their buyers.

And Rosemary Jesse, 53 years, who confessed to their involvement in the business, was also arrested.

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.

She also confessed that if a child should die while in their custody, the body will be sold to ritualists, which led to the arrest of Muritala Fasasi (m), an Alfa and Yakubu Azees (m), an herbalist.

Both have confessed their involvement in using them for ritual purposes.

Meanwhile, the Oyo State Police Command has appealed to parents and guardians who have been searching for their missing children to visit the Command’s headquarters in Eleyele, Ibadan, to check and identify whether their children are among those rescued.

The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Ayanlade Olayinka, had on Wednesday urged parents and guardians whose missing children were not among the rescued victims to lodge formal complaints with the police and provide relevant information that could assist investigators in tracing their whereabouts.

‎The Command assured members of the public that the investigation was ongoing, with efforts being intensified to identify other persons allegedly connected to the trafficking network, recover more victims and ensure that anyone found culpable faces the law.

The state’s Commissioner of Police, Abimbola Olugbenga, while addressing newsmen in Ibadan, said the investigation began with a petition over alleged conspiracy, cyberbullying, threat to life and defamation of character, which reportedly opened the door to a much bigger criminal operation involving the alleged abduction, sale and concealment of children.

According to him, the investigation took a dramatic turn when detectives discovered the disappearance of three-year-old Ifakunle Ifagbenro during a masquerade festival in Oyo town on 29 June.

He said evidence from the event placed Adejoke Popoola, popularly known as Orente Alagbo, with the child shortly before both disappeared.

He said Popoola was arrested on 4 August and allegedly confessed to stealing more than 15 children between the ages of two and seven from churches, parties and other public gatherings.

He added that her alleged associate, Adekanbi Janet, also known as Hosanna, was subsequently arrested in Mowe, Ogun State. Four children and two pregnant young women were reportedly found in her custody.

“Investigators later traced the missing Ifakunle to the Gbagi area of Ibadan, where he was rescued on 20 August.

“The trail then extended to Agbor in Delta State. On 2 September, detectives rescued four children allegedly stolen from Oyo State and arrested two alleged buyers, Christopher Joy, 48, and Rosemary Jesse, 53.

The petition was subsequently assigned to the Anti-Kidnapping Squad on 3 August”, the police boss said.

Olugbenga said that while detectives were examining the circumstances surrounding the petition, their attention was drawn to the disappearance of a three-year-old boy, Ifakunle Ifagbenro, during an annual masquerade festival in Oyo Town on 29 June.

The commissioner said 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 event, after which they both disappeared from the venue.

The matter was subsequently reported to the Atiba Police Divisional Headquarters in Oyo town.

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

He added that information obtained from her subsequently led detectives to Ifakunle, who was rescued in the Gbagi area of Ibadan on 20 August.

He said two suspects, identified as 48-year-old Christopher Joy and 53-year-old Rosemary Jesse, were arrested and allegedly confessed to involvement in the business.

The development, he said, confirmed the interstate dimension of the criminal network and showed that children were being moved outside Oyo State as part of the alleged criminal enterprise.

The commissioner further disclosed that the investigation uncovered an alleged ritual dimension to the syndicate’s activities.

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

The commissioner further disclosed that the investigation uncovered an alleged ritual dimension to the syndicate’s activities.

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

Asked how much the children were sold for, she mentioned amounts ranging from N500,000 to N600,000. She also claimed to have operated in the business since October 2024.

The suspect allegedly described how children could be taken from places where traditional or spiritual activities were being held, including masquerade festivals, by gaining the confidence of parents.

In one account, she reportedly said she would tell parents of children with disabilities that she could help heal them before taking the children away.

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

He particularly cautioned parents and guardians to exercise care when dealing with individuals who present themselves as traditional or spiritual healers, especially where such persons seek to separate children from their families or take them to undisclosed locations.

The commissioner also appealed to 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.

He reaffirmed the command’s commitment to protecting children and other vulnerable persons, dismantling criminal networks and ensuring that justice was served in accordance with the law.

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Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has said he will concede defeat in the 2027 presidential election if the poll is free, fair and credible.

Obi made the declaration during an interview on Arise TV on Thursday, insisting that he would respect the choice of Nigerians if they opted for another candidate.

“If the election is free, fair and credible, I will because it’s an election. It’s the people that would say who they want to serve, and I will respect the will of the people; that’s democracy,” he said.

However, the former Anambra State governor maintained that he won the 2023 presidential election, insisting that those who conducted the poll were aware of what transpired.

“I did, and I will maintain that as long as I live that I won the 2023 election. Those who conducted it know the records; they know why there was a glitch and what happened,” Obi said.

‘Presidency Must Not Be About Tribe, Religion’

Addressing the argument that Nigeria’s presidency should operate on a “turn-by-turn” basis among regions, Obi said electoral choices should be based on competence rather than ethnicity or religion.

He argued that he possesses the qualifications and experience required to lead the country, adding that his exposure to institutions and systems around the world had prepared him for the presidency.

“Election should not be driven by tribe or religion. Today, in terms of qualification, I’m qualified to be president of Nigeria. I have the competence,” he said.

Obi also highlighted his educational background, citing studies at institutions including Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard, Columbia and Kellogg.

He challenged anyone with evidence questioning the authenticity of his qualifications to come forward, saying he would withdraw from the presidential race if any of his certificates were proven to be false.

“If they find anyone wrong, I will drop from the race,” he said.

Obi Questions Lack of Youth Representation

The NDC candidate also criticised what he described as the prolonged absence of younger Nigerians from the presidency since independence.

According to Obi, no Nigerian born after 1960 has served as president despite the country’s large youthful population.

“Since 1960, nobody born outside 1960 has been president of Nigeria. This is 66 years of independence; no other country in the world has had this happen to, and they tell youths they’re the leaders of tomorrow,” he said.

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The Kano State Police Command has arrested two suspects in connection with the killing of popular political commentator, Ibrahim Khalil Danshagamu, who was reportedly attacked at his residence in Gaida Quarters, Kumbotso Local Government Area of the state.

The arrest came amid growing public outrage over the killing, with political figures, rights groups and other stakeholders demanding a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death.

The police said the suspects were apprehended during an intelligence-driven operation as detectives intensified efforts to identify everyone linked to the attack.

The command disclosed this in a statement issued on Wednesday by its Public Relations Officer, Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa, on behalf of the Commissioner of Police, CP Ibrahim Adamu Bakori.

According to the statement, the incident occurred at about 11:30pm on Monday when the command received a distress call from the commander of the Gaida Vigilante Group.

The vigilante commander reportedly alerted the police that unidentified assailants had forcibly entered Danshagamu’s residence and attacked him with sharp objects.

Operatives of the Kumbotso Police Division immediately responded to the scene and rushed the victim to Murtala Mohammed Specialists Hospital, Kano.

He was, however, pronounced dead on arrival by a medical doctor, according to the police.

Outrage Over Killing

The death has triggered widespread condemnation, particularly among political and civil society circles, with calls for the perpetrators to be identified and prosecuted.

Former Kano State governor and opposition politician, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, said Danshagamu was found in a pool of blood at his residence.

Kwankwaso, in a post on X on Wednesday, described the incident as a “horrific attack” and called on the Kano State Government to establish an investigative panel to uncover the circumstances surrounding the killing and ensure that those responsible face justice.

Amnesty International Nigeria also condemned the killing and urged authorities to conduct a thorough and transparent investigation.

The rights organisation stressed that dissent, criticism and freedom of expression are fundamental elements of a democratic society.

“In a democracy, outspoken persons or critics are accommodated, listened to, not killed,” the organisation said.

The Kano State Chairman of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Husaini Mai Riga, also described the killing as “deeply disturbing and unacceptable.”

He said the incident raised serious concerns about public safety, press freedom and the protection of democratic values in the state.

Police Probe Intensifies

The police said the arrest of the two suspects followed an intelligence-led operation carried out by the Kumbotso Divisional Police Officer in collaboration with tactical units of the command, community stakeholders and other relevant security personnel.

The suspects are currently in police custody and are being interrogated as investigators work to establish their alleged roles in the crime.

“The suspects are currently in custody undergoing interrogation. The Command has intensified efforts to apprehend any other persons who may be connected to the crime,” the police statement said.

Investigators are also taking statements from relevant individuals, while forensic procedures are being conducted to establish the circumstances of the attack and determine its possible motive.

The police have not disclosed the identities of the suspects or provided details of the evidence linking them to the killing.

Security Measures Tightened

Commissioner Bakori expressed concern over the incident and sympathised with the family of the deceased.

He assured residents that the command would pursue the investigation and ensure that those responsible are brought to justice.

“The Kano State Police Command will not relent in its mandate to protect lives and property. We assure the good people of Kano that justice will be purs