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Six underage children abducted by a suspected child-stealing and human trafficking syndicate have been confirmed dead in captivity, the Oyo State Police Command has disclosed.

The command also announced the rescue of 17 children and the arrest of seven suspects following an intelligence-led investigation into a criminal network allegedly involved in the stealing, trafficking and concealment of children across state lines.

The Oyo State Commissioner of Police, CP Abimbola Olugbenga, disclosed this on Monday at a press briefing held at the Police 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 bordering on conspiracy, cyberbullying, threat to life and defamation of character. The petition was subsequently assigned to the Anti-Kidnapping Squad on August 3.

“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 June 29. The child had accompanied his father to his grandfather’s family compound for the festival, while Popoola had arrived two days earlier to participate in preparations for the event.”

The commissioner said Popoola offered to carry the child during the event, after which both she and the child disappeared from the venue. The matter was subsequently reported at the Atiba Police Divisional Headquarters in Oyo Town.

“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 said.

Popoola was arrested on August 4 and, according to the commissioner, admitted attending the masquerade festival and subsequently leaving with the missing child. Her statement, Olugbenga said, provided the first major breakthrough into what investigators discovered to be a wider criminal network.

The suspect allegedly disclosed that she had been involved 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 also reportedly identified one Adekanbi Janet, also known as Hosanna, as her partner in the alleged criminal enterprise.

Adekanbi was subsequently traced to Mowe, Ogun State, where police rescued four children aged between two and four years from her custody and recovered two pregnant young women. The commissioner 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 further 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 subsequently led detectives to the location of Ifakunle, who was rescued in the Gbagi area of Ibadan on August 20.

The investigation later extended beyond Oyo State. Olugbenga said detectives travelled to Agbor, Delta State, on September 2, where four children allegedly stolen from Oyo State were rescued from their suspected buyers. Two suspects, identified as Christopher Joy, 48, and Rosemary Jesse, 53, were arrested and allegedly confessed to involvement in the illicit 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 activities of the syndicate.

One of the suspects allegedly confessed that whenever a child died while in their custody, the body would be sold to ritualists. The disclosure reportedly led to the arrest of Muritala Fasasi, an Alfa, and Yakubu Azeez, a herbalist, who the police said confessed to their alleged involvement in using the bodies for ritual purposes.

The development came against the backdrop of a chilling testimony attributed to one of the principal suspects, who allegedly told investigators that she had stolen 13 children before her arrest. In the testimony, the suspect, nicknamed Orente, reportedly said she would visit homes and, whenever she found nobody around, take a child.

Asked how much the children were sold for, she mentioned amounts ranging from N500,000 to N600,000. She also claimed to have operated 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, 2; Greatness Adeagbo, 5; Sainat Amoo, 2; Taiwo Usman, 2; Daniel Solomon Olayinka, 7; and Miracle Olaniyi, 4.

The 17 rescued children are Ifakunle Ifagbenro, 3; Musibau Olasupo, 5; Sulaimon Osamo, 7; Murina Fidaus, 3; Aminat Yusuf, 3; Taiwo Olamilekan, 3; an unnamed nine-day-old male infant; Rafiat Waheed Babalola, 2; Quwiyat Alade, 5; Rejoice Divine, 3; Alhaji Divine, 5; Eniolorunda, 3; Victoria, 3; Isoma Prince, 3; Roqeeba, 4; Boluwatife Odedeyi, 3; and Ireoluwa Elizabeth Olapade, 7.

The commissioner appealed to parents and guardians who had lost their children in recent times to visit the Police Command Headquarters, Eleyele, Ibadan, to identify the rescued children and facilitate their reunification with their families.

He said the command was working with other security and government agencies to uncover the full structure of the alleged network, locate other missing children, establish the circumstances surrounding the reported deaths and ensure that anyone found culpable was brought to justice.

Olugbenga urged members of the public to remain vigilant and report cases of missing children to the police without delay.

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 them 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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A coalition of 200 Civil Societies across Edo and Delta state under the auspices of The Common Good Letter has petitioned anti-graft agencies demanding an urgent independent investigation into payment of N14 billion to Hartland Nigeria Limited for the construction of 11-kilometer road project extending from Summit Junction in Asaba, Delta State, to the Onitsha Head Bridge.

The Petition signed by the Publisher of the Group Revd David Ugolo was addressed to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Code of Conduct Bureau, Bureau of Public Procurement, Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice — Federal Ministry of Justice

The group is requesting an urgent, independent and coordinated investigation into serious allegations concerning the award, financing, execution and supervision of the approximately 11-kilometre road project extending from Summit Junction in Asaba, Delta State, to the Onitsha Head Bridge.

This petition followed public statements reportedly made by the Honourable Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi, during an inspection of the road and adjoining bridge infrastructure in August 2026, stating that Hartland Nigeria Limited had received approximately ₦14 billion under an agreement requiring it to complete the 11-kilometre road, including channelisation and hydraulic structures.

The minister during the inspection had said the project was 40 percent completed and called for the arrest of the company’s Managing Director,

The group during a press conference yesterday in Abuja raised concern over the statement by the minister and demanded a professional investigation into the contracts, procurement records, payment documents, engineering measurements, bank guarantees and evidence obtained from all affected parties.

Ugolo clarified that the petition does not in any way allege that the construction company and its directors, public officer, any other person involved in the contract has committed any offence, but that they demand competent authorities to determine the facts and take lawful action where the evidence establishes wrongdoing.

The group is demanding for establishment of the full identity and reference number of the contract, confirm the date of the original award, procurement method, approving authority and there original contract sum; Verify the precise scope of work, including the road sections, channelisation, drainage and hydraulic structures covered by the contract.

“Determine whether the procurement was supported by an appropriation, procurement plan, competitive process and Certificate of No Objection from the Bureau of Public Procurement, where required; Identify every supplementary agreement, variation, extension, review or renegotiation that altered the scope, price or completion period; determine whether the contractor satisfied the technical, financial, personnel and equipment requirements for the contract.

The group also called for the establishment of the exact amount paid, rather than relying on the approximate amount mentioned publicly; identify the dates, purposes and authorising instruments for every payment; determine whether payments represented mobilisation, interim certificates, reimbursement, variations or other contractual obligations.

It further called for verification of payment certificates, measurements, approvals and budgetary authority supporting each payment and urged the authorities to identify engineers, consultants, project managers, accounting officers and other officials involved in measuring the work, preparing and approving payment certificates, supervising the project and assessing its performance.

It called for an independent engineering and quantity-surveying assessment to determine the percentage, quality and monetary value of work completed, compliance with approved designs and specifications, the condition of drainage and hydraulic structures and the cost of completing the project.

The coalition said the independent assessment should be reconciled with the minister’s reported 40 per cent completion figure to determine whether the Federal Government received value corresponding to the amount paid.
It also asked investigators to examine advance-payment guarantees, performance bonds, insurance policies and other securities attached to the contract, including whether such guarantees remained valid when non-performance was identified.

The petition urged the EFCC to trace and reconcile all payments connected with the project, obtain relevant bank records and examine possible fraud, false certification, diversion, conspiracy or money laundering where supported by evidence.

The ICPC was asked to investigate the conduct of public officers involved in procurement, supervision, certification and payment, while the CCB was urged to examine any evidence of conflicts of interest involving public officers. They called on the BPP to conduct a procurement-compliance review of the contract and all variations, while asking the Attorney-General of the Federation to provide legal guidance and coordinate any related investigations.

On the minister’s call for the arrest of the contractor’s managing director, the coalition said any arrest should be carried out only by a legally empowered law-enforcement agency and based on reasonable grounds saying the presumption of innocence, right to legal representation and other constitutional protections should be respected.

The group also urged that any investigation should extend beyond the contractor to public officials, consultants and financial institutions involved in approving, certifying, processing or securing payments and requested the immediate preservation of contract and procurement documents, payment certificates, bank records, guarantees, project designs, measurement books, laboratory reports, inspection reports, correspondence and other evidence relating to the project.

The coalition further requested recovery of any funds established to have been unearned, fraudulently obtained or improperly paid, as well as enforcement of valid guarantees and bonds.

It called for prosecution of anyone against whom sufficient admissible evidence of an offence was established and appropriate disciplinary action against public officers found to have acted negligently or dishonestly.

The group also urged the authorities to ensure completion or emergency remediation of the road through a transparent and technically credible process. They requested a written acknowledgement of the petition and a case reference number within seven working days, as well as public confirmation within 30 days that the allegations were receiving official attention.

The coalition said the investigation should ultimately establish whether the approximately N14 billion reportedly paid was properly authorised, properly certified and matched by work of corresponding value.

The group said, “The Minister’s public statement provides a basis for investigation, but it is not itself proof of criminal liability adding that the appropriate response was to follow the contract, follow the money, examine the certificates, establish responsibility and apply the law fairly to both private actors and public officials.”

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The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps Mining Marshals have warned operators in the solid minerals sector that ignorance of mining laws will not exempt them from prosecution.

Commander of the Mining Marshals, Assistant Commandant of Corps John Attah, gave the warning in a statement on Monday.

Attah said operators were expected to familiarise themselves with the relevant laws and obtain the necessary approvals before engaging in mining activities.

The development came a few days after the NSCDC Mining Marshals intensified enforcement operations nationwide in a renewed push to sanitise Nigeria’s solid minerals sector and curb illegal mining.

The specialised enforcement unit said its operational teams, particularly in the South-West, had recorded progress in efforts to ensure that mining activities comply with existing laws and regulatory requirements.

However, Attah warned operators against flouting mining regulations, stressing that ignorance of the law would not shield offenders from prosecution.

“Ignorance of the law will never be an excuse. Every operator must ensure that mining activities are conducted within the ambit of the law. Those who choose to operate outside the regulatory framework will face the full weight of legal consequences,” he said.

Attah said the ongoing operations were not targeted at legitimate investors but were aimed at ensuring that all mining activities complied with extant laws and regulations.

He explained that the enforcement drive would also help protect legitimate mining operators, improve revenue generation and curb economic losses associated with illegal exploitation of the nation’s mineral resources.

According to him, “lawful, safe and sustainable mining practices” remain critical to unlocking the economic potential of Nigeria’s solid minerals sector.

“The intensified enforcement drive is designed not only to curb illegal mining but also to safeguard legitimate investors, enhance revenue generation and restore integrity to a sector long plagued by regulatory violations and economic sabotage.

“The Mining Marshals have consistently maintained that lawful, safe and sustainable mining practices are central to unlocking the sector’s economic potential,” he said.

Illegal mining has remained a major challenge to the sector, contributing to revenue losses, environmental degradation and the exploitation of mineral resources outside the regulatory framework.

The renewed enforcement campaign is part of the Federal Government’s broader efforts to reform the solid minerals sector, which has been identified as a key component of Nigeria’s economic diversification agenda.

Nigeria is endowed with a wide range of commercially viable solid minerals, including gold, lithium, limestone, coal, bitumen and tin, but the sector has continued to operate below its potential amid concerns over illegal mining, insecurity, weak regulation and the activities of unlicensed operators.

Successive governments have sought to reposition the sector as an alternative source of revenue and foreign exchange as the country attempts to reduce its dependence on crude oil.