A suspected member of a child stealing and trafficking syndicate, Adejoke Popoola, has confessed to allegedly selling two sets of children she gave birth to and stealing other children for onward sale.
According to a report by PUNCH, Popoola made the revelation on Monday at the Oyo State Police Command headquarters in Ibadan, saying she had been involved in the alleged activities since October 2024.
Popoola claimed she sold a newborn boy and a set of twins, with the twins allegedly sold to a clinic in Ogeere for N300,000. She said she sometimes received between N80,000 and N120,000 for each child sold.
She also admitted allegedly stealing children by disguising herself as someone seeking accommodation and taking children when their parents were away. She further claimed to have posed as a spiritualist to target parents with children living with disabilities.
Popoola said she had allegedly stolen 19 children, adding that six died while in the custody of their abductors, while 13 remained alive.
The Commissioner of Police, Abimbola Olugbenga, said the command had rescued 17 children and arrested seven suspects following an intelligence led investigation into the suspected syndicate.
He said the investigation uncovered an interstate network involved in the stealing, movement, sale and concealment of children. Four children allegedly stolen from Oyo were also rescued in Agbor, Delta State, while two suspects were arrested.
Olugbenga said investigators also uncovered allegations that bodies of children who died in captivity were sold to suspected ritualists, leading to the arrest of two additional suspects.
The police commissioner urged parents and guardians who had lost children to visit the command headquarters in Eleyele, Ibadan, to identify the rescued children and facilitate their reunification with their families.
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