The Oyo State Police Command has uncovered a suspected interstate child-trafficking syndicate operating across Oyo, Ogun and Delta states, rescuing 17 children and arresting seven suspects.
The Commissioner of Police, Abimbola Ayodeji Olugbenga, disclosed this on Monday during a press briefing at the Command Headquarters, Eleyele, Ibadan.
The investigation reportedly began with a petition alleging conspiracy, cyberbullying, threat to life and defamation of character but soon exposed a wider criminal network allegedly involved in the abduction, sale and concealment of children.
Police said the probe intensified following the disappearance of three-year-old Ifakunle Ifagbenro during a masquerade festival in Oyo town on June 29.
According to the Command, detectives established that Adejoke Popoola, popularly known as Orente Alagbo, was with the child shortly before both disappeared.
Popoola was arrested on August 4 and allegedly confessed to stealing more than 15 children, aged between two and seven, from churches, parties and other public gatherings.
Her alleged accomplice, Adekanbi Janet, also known as Hosanna, was later arrested in Mowe, Ogun State. Four children and two pregnant young women were reportedly found in her custody.
Further investigation led detectives to the Gbagi area of Ibadan, where Ifakunle was rescued on August 20.
The operation was subsequently extended to Agbor, Delta State, where police said four more children were rescued on September 2.
The Command said the discoveries pointed to an organised interstate trafficking network rather than an isolated criminal operation.
Police said interrogation of some suspects also produced disturbing allegations that children who died while in captivity were allegedly sold to ritualists.
The development led to the arrest of Muritala Fasasi, an Alfa, and Yakubu Azeez, a herbalist, who police said confessed to alleged involvement in ritual-related activities.
The Command said 17 children have so far been rescued, while efforts are ongoing to establish their identities, reunite them with their families and determine the full extent of the network.
Police urged parents and guardians whose children have gone missing to report to the authorities and visit the Command Headquarters in Eleyele, Ibadan, to help identify the rescued children.
The Command also warned parents against handing children over to individuals posing as traditional or spiritual healers, especially those who insist that children be taken away or kept in undisclosed locations.
Olugbenga assured that the investigation would continue in collaboration with relevant security and government agencies, with efforts focused on rescuing more victims and ensuring that all suspects found culpable are prosecuted.
