Six children died while in the custody of an alleged child‑trafficking syndicate, and Oyo State police recovered 17 other children and detained seven suspects, the command said. The disclosure followed an intelligence‑led probe that began after a July 29, 2026 petition and linked a missing three‑year‑old to a wider network that moved victims between states.
Commissioner of Police Abimbola Olugbenga told reporters the inquiry was opened after a petition from Adejoke Popoola, also known as Orente Alagbo. Detectives assigned to the Anti‑Kidnapping Squad traced the disappearance of Ifakunle Ifagbenro, who went missing during a masquerade festival in Oyo Town on June 29, to Popoola. She was arrested on August 4 and, police say, admitted leaving the festival with the child. That admission, the commissioner said, provided an initial breakthrough into what investigators describe as a broader criminal enterprise.
Investigators allege Popoola had helped steal more than 15 children aged two to seven from churches, parties and other gatherings, and named Adekanbi Janet, also known as Hosanna, as a partner. Police traced Adekanbi to Mowe in Ogun State, where officers recovered four children aged two to four and two pregnant women. Ifakunle was later found alive in the Gbagi area of Ibadan on August 20, the command said.
The inquiry widened to Delta State, where police travelled to Agbor on September 2 and recovered four children from suspected buyers. Two people, Christopher Joy, 48, and Rosemary Jesse, 53, were arrested there. The commissioner said those arrests confirmed the interstate reach of the operation.
Police also reported an alleged ritual angle after a suspect purportedly told investigators that bodies of children who died in custody were sold to ritualists. That allegation led to the detention of Muritala Fasasi, an Alfa, and Yakubu Azeez, a herbalist, who are said to have admitted involvement in using the bodies for ritual purposes.
The command gave specific figures for the alleged trade, saying children were sold for amounts ranging from ₦500,000 to ₦600,000, and that one accused told investigators she had been operating since October 2024. The six children the police said died in custody include Musharaf Lawal Tajudeen and Greatness Adeagbo. Investigations are ongoing as detectives follow leads across states and pore over digital and pictorial evidence.
