Oyo police rescue 17 children and arrest seven suspects linked to an alleged interstate child-stealing and trafficking syndicate operating across Oyo, Ogun and Delta states.
The Oyo State Police Command says its operatives have rescued 17 children and arrested seven suspects linked to an interstate child-stealing and trafficking syndicate operating across Oyo, Ogun and Delta states.
Commissioner of Police Abimbola Olugbenga paraded the suspects during a press briefing at the command headquarters in Eleyele, Ibadan, describing the case as one that grew from a routine petition into a wide-reaching criminal network.
How the Investigation Began
Olugbenga said the case originated from a petition dated July 29, 2026, submitted by Adejoke Popoola, also known as Orente Alagbo, of the Sogade area of Ariyo, Ibadan, over allegations of conspiracy, cyberbullying, threat to life and defamation. The matter was transferred to the Anti-Kidnapping Squad on August 3 for further investigation.
During that probe, detectives connected the case to the disappearance of three-year-old Ifakunle Ifagbenro, who went missing during an annual masquerade festival in Oyo town on June 29. Pictorial and video evidence from the event reportedly showed Popoola carrying the child shortly before he disappeared, prompting a report at the Atiba Police Divisional Headquarters.
Popoola’s Arrest and Confession
Popoola was arrested on August 4 and admitted to leaving the festival with the missing child. Her statement, Olugbenga said, became the first major breakthrough in the wider investigation.
“Her statement provided the first major breakthrough into the wider criminal network,” Olugbenga said.
According to the commissioner, Popoola disclosed involvement in the stealing of more than 15 children, aged between two and seven, from churches, parties and other event venues within and outside Oyo State. Speaking separately to journalists at the command headquarters, Popoola herself gave a fuller account of her alleged activities, saying they dated back to October 2024 and that she had stolen 19 children in total, of whom she said six had died and 13 remained alive. She also claimed to have sold two of her own biological children, a newborn boy and a set of twins, the previous year.
The Wider Network
Popoola identified Adekanbi Janet, also known as Hosanna, as her alleged partner. Janet was arrested in Mowe, Ogun State, where police rescued four children aged between two and four, along with two pregnant young women.
Olugbenga said Janet told detectives that some of the stolen children were kept in custody pending sale, while the pregnant women were held until they gave birth. Information from Janet’s statement also helped detectives locate Ifakunle, who was rescued around the Gbagi area of Ibadan on August 20.
The investigation later extended to Agbor in Delta State, where four children allegedly stolen from Oyo were rescued from their buyers on September 2. Two suspects, Christopher Joy, 48, and Rosemary Jesse, 53, were arrested in connection with that operation.
An Alleged Ritual Dimension
Olugbenga said the interstate reach of the operation was further confirmed by information uncovering an alleged ritual dimension to the syndicate’s activities. He said suspects disclosed that when a child died in their custody, the body could reportedly be sold to ritualists, an allegation that led to the arrest of Muritala Fasasi, described as an Islamic cleric, and Yakubu Azeez, a herbalist.
“Both have confessed their involvement in using them for ritual purposes,” Olugbenga said.
The seven suspects arrested in connection with the case are Popoola, Janet, Joy, Jesse, Fasasi, Azeez, and Ismaila Alabede.
Six Children Died in Captivity
The commissioner said six children died while in the custody of their alleged abductors: Musharaf Lawal Tajudeen, 2; Greatness Adeagbo, 5; Sainat Amoo, 2; Taiwo Usman, 2; Daniel Solomon Olayinka, 7; and Miracle Olaniyi, 4.
Olugbenga urged parents and guardians who have recently lost children to visit the command headquarters in Eleyele, Ibadan, to help identify the rescued children and facilitate reunification with their families.
Force Reaction
Force Public Relations Officer CSP Aniete Iniedu confirmed the breakthrough in a statement, noting that it followed an intelligence-led investigation into Ifakunle’s disappearance. Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Rilwan Disu commended the Oyo Command for the operation and directed that efforts be intensified to dismantle the network, locate any remaining missing children, and ensure that anyone found culpable is prosecuted.
Olugbenga said the command was working with other security and government agencies to uncover the full structure of the network, locate additional missing children, and establish the circumstances surrounding the reported deaths.
If you have information related to this case, or are seeking a missing child who may be connected to this investigation, contact the Oyo State Police Command headquarters in Eleyele, Ibadan.
