Oyo State Police Unravel Child-Stealing Network, Rescue 17 Children

…As Investigation reveals movement, sale of children across state lines

The Oyo State Police Command has uncovered a criminal network allegedly involved in the theft and trafficking of children across state lines.

The command said an intelligence-led investigation, which began after a petition, led to the discovery of a wider network extending beyond Oyo State.

The investigation resulted in the rescue of 17 children and the arrest of seven suspects, while six children were reported to have died in the custody of their abductors.

Speaking to journalists at the command headquarters in Eleyele, Ibadan, the Commissioner of Police, Abimbola Olugbenga, said the investigation uncovered a disturbing pattern involving the identification, movement, sale and concealment of children, as well as other serious criminal activities.

Olugbenga said the investigation began with a petition dated July 29, 2026, filed by Adejoke Popoola, also known as Orente Alagbo, of Sogade Area, Ariyo, Ibadan.

According to him, the petition raised allegations bordering on conspiracy, cyberbullying, threat to life and defamation of character.

He said the petition was assigned to the Anti-Kidnapping Squad on August 3, 2026, adding that while detectives were examining the circumstances surrounding the case, their attention was drawn to the disappearance of a three-year-old child, Ifakunle Ifagbenro.

The commissioner said the discovery opened a new line of investigation that eventually exposed the wider child trafficking network.

“On 29 June 2026, the child accompanied his father to the annual masquerade festival at his father-in-law’s family compound in Oyo Town, where Adejoke also arrived two days before the festival to participate in the preparations for the event.

During the event, she offered to carry the child. Shortly afterwards, both Adejoke and the child disappeared from the venue. The matter was subsequently reported at Atiba Police Divisional Headquarters in Oyo Town.

“As detectives pursued the circumstances of his disappearance, pictorial and video materials at the event showed Adejoke carrying the child on 29 June 2026.

“The persons identified through the digital trail were also invited by the Police, and from their statements it was established that Adejoke Popoola, also known as Orente Alagbo, was with the child around the time of his disappearance. Adejoke Popoola was arrested on 4 August 2026 at about 1430 hours, when she admitted to having attended the masquerade festival and thereafter left with the missing child.

Her statement provided the first major breakthrough into the wider criminal network. She disclosed that she had been involved in the theft 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 ‘F’, also known as Hosanna, as her partner in the business. She was traced and arrested in Mowe, Ogun State, where four children between the 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 ten years, during which Adejoke was involved 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 were 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 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. One, Christopher Joy, 48 yrs, and Rosemary Jesse, 53 yrs, who confessed to their involvement in the business, were 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 would be sold to ritualists, which led to the arrest of Muritala Fasasi ‘M’, an Alfa, and Yakubu Azeez ‘M’, a herbalist. Both have confessed to using them for ritual purposes.

The Command has rescued 17 children so far.

“The Oyo State Police Command is therefore calling on parents and guardians who have lost their children in recent times to visit Oyo State Police Command Headquarters, Eleyele, Ibadan, to identify the children rescued and facilitate their early reunification with their families.

“The Command is working with other relevant security and government agencies to identify the full structure of the network, locate other missing children, establish the circumstances surrounding the reported deaths and ensure that all persons found culpable are brought to justice.”

He called on the public to remain vigilant and to report any case of missing children to the Police without delay, adding that parents and guardians should also exercise caution when engaging persons who present themselves as traditional or spiritual healers, particularly where they seek to separate children from their families or take them to undisclosed locations.

He urged members of the public with credible information that can assist the investigation to contact the Police, assuring them that such information will be handled professionally and, where necessary, confidentially.

He said the Command remains committed to protecting children and other vulnerable persons, dismantling criminal networks and ensuring that justice is served in accordance with the law.”