A suspected member of a child-stealing and trafficking syndicate, Adejoke Popoola, has confessed to selling two sets of children she gave birth to and allegedly stealing 19 other children for onward sale.
Popoola, who spoke at the Oyo State Police Command headquarters in Ibadan said she had been involved in child trafficking since October 2024.
She admitted selling a newborn boy and a set of twins, saying the twins were sold to a clinic in Ogeere for N300,000. She said she sometimes received between N80,000 and N120,000 for each child.
Police investigators are said to be working to establish the full extent of the network, including how the children were recruited, transported and received at their destinations.
The development also highlights the growing need for stronger collaboration among law-enforcement agencies, state governments and child-protection authorities to prevent trafficking and protect vulnerable children.
Authorities are expected to intensify investigations to identify other members of the suspected syndicate and determine whether additional victims may have been affected.
According to the police, the syndicate operated across states, with four children allegedly stolen from Oyo later rescued in Agbor, Delta State.
Police also alleged that some children who died in the custody of the suspects were sold to suspected ritualists. Two suspected ritualists, identified as Muritala Fasasi and Yakubu Azeez, were arrested in connection with the allegation.
The police said six children reportedly died while in the custody of the suspected abductors, while 17 others have so far been rescued.
The command urged parents and guardians who have lost children to visit its headquarters in Eleyele, Ibadan, to identify the rescued children and facilitate their reunification with their families.
