Six children allegedly abducted by a suspected child-stealing and human trafficking syndicate have died in captivity, while 17 others have been rescued by the Oyo Police Command.
The Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Abimbola, disclosed this on Monday during a press conference in Ibadan, where the command paraded suspects arrested in connection with the alleged criminal network.
According to the commissioner, the syndicate, allegedly headed by a 50-year-old herbal trader identified as Adegoke Popoola, popularly known as Orente, operated across Oyo and other states.
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The deceased children were identified as Musharaf Lawal Tajudeen, two; Greatness Adeagbo, five; Sainat Amoo, two; Taiwo Usman, two; Daniel Solomon Olayinka, seven; and Miracle Olaniyi, four.
The 17 rescued children include Ifakunle Ifagbenro, three; Musibau Olasupo, five; Sulaimon Osamo, seven; Murina Fidaus, three; Aminat Yusuf, three; Taiwo Olamilekan, three; an infant male aged nine days; Rafiat Waheed Babalola, two; Quwiyat Alade, five; Rejoice Divine, three; Alhaji Divine, five; Eniolorunda, three; Victoria, three; Isoma Prince, three; Roqeeba, four; Boluwatife Odedeyi, three; and Ireoluwa Elizabeth Olapade, seven.
Abimbola said the children were allegedly taken from churches, social gatherings, homes, and other public events using different methods.
He said the investigation began after a petition dated July 29, 2026, was submitted by Popoola, also known as Orente Alagbo, from the Sogade area of Ariyo, Ibadan.
The petition, according to him, alleged conspiracy, cyberbullying, threat to life, and defamation of character, and was transferred to the Anti-Kidnapping Squad on August 3.
The police chief said investigators later discovered that the petitioner was allegedly linked to the disappearance of a three-year-old boy, Ifakunle Ifagbenro, during a masquerade festival in Oyo.
He said the child had accompanied his father to his father-in-law’s family compound for the event, while Popoola had arrived two days earlier to assist with preparations.
Abimbola said Popoola offered to carry the child during the festival, after which she allegedly disappeared with him.
The matter was subsequently reported at the Atiba Police Divisional Headquarters in Oyo.
According to the commissioner, photographs and video recordings from the event showed Popoola carrying the child, while digital evidence and statements from witnesses further linked her to the boy’s disappearance.
Popoola was arrested on August 4 and allegedly admitted attending the festival and leaving with the child.
The commissioner said her statement became a breakthrough in the investigation, leading detectives to uncover what they described as a wider child-trafficking network.
He said Popoola allegedly confessed to participating in the stealing of more than 15 children, mostly between the ages of two and seven, from churches, parties and other events within and outside Oyo State.
She reportedly identified one Adekanbi Janet, also known as Hosanna, as an associate in the alleged operation.
Abimbola said Adekanbi was subsequently traced to Mowe, Ogun State, where police rescued four children aged between two and four years and recovered two pregnant young women.
According to him, Adekanbi admitted knowing Popoola for about 10 years in connection with the alleged stealing and sale of children, although she denied involvement in the disappearance of Ifakunle.
The commissioner said investigations showed that some of the children were allegedly kept in custody while arrangements were made for their sale, while the pregnant women were allegedly housed until they gave birth.
Information obtained from Adekanbi reportedly helped detectives locate Ifakunle, who was rescued around the Gbagi area of Ibadan on August 20.
The investigation subsequently extended to Delta State.
Abimbola said a police team travelled to Agbor on September 2, where four children allegedly stolen from Oyo State were rescued from suspected buyers.
Two suspects, identified as 48-year-old Christopher Joy and 53-year-old Rosemary Jesse, were arrested and allegedly confessed to involvement in the alleged child-trafficking business.
The commissioner said the development confirmed the interstate nature of the suspected network and indicated that children were allegedly being moved out of Oyo State.
He further disclosed that investigators uncovered an alleged ritual dimension to the activities of some members of the network.
According to him, a suspect allegedly told investigators that whenever a child died while in their custody, the body was sold to suspected ritualists.
The revelation reportedly led to the arrest of Muritala Fasasi, an Alfa, and Yakubu Azeez, a herbalist, who police alleged had confessed to involvement in the use of the bodies for ritual purposes.
Abimbola said one of the principal suspects, known as Orente, also allegedly told investigators that she had stolen 13 children before her arrest.
The suspect reportedly said she targeted homes and other places where children could be taken without immediate detection.
She allegedly told investigators that the children were sold for between N500,000 and N600,000 and claimed to have been involved in the business since October 2024.
The commissioner said the suspect also described how she allegedly gained the trust of parents during traditional and spiritual gatherings before taking children away.
In one instance, she allegedly claimed to have approached parents of children living with disabilities under the guise of offering treatment before taking the children.
Abimbola appealed to parents and guardians whose children had gone missing to visit the Police Command Headquarters in Eleyele, Ibadan, to help identify the rescued children and facilitate their reunification with their families.
He said the command was working with other security and government agencies to determine the full structure of the suspected network, locate other missing children and establish the circumstances surrounding the reported deaths.
The commissioner assured that anyone found culpable would face the law.
He urged parents and guardians to report missing children immediately and exercise caution when dealing with individuals claiming to be traditional or spiritual healers, particularly those seeking to separate children from their families or take them to undisclosed locations.
Abimbola also appealed to members of the public with useful information about the suspected network to contact the police, assuring them of appropriate confidentiality.
He reaffirmed the command’s commitment to protecting children and other vulnerable persons and dismantling criminal networks operating in the state.