A suspected member of a child-stealing and trafficking syndicate in Oyo State, Adejoke Popoola, has allegedly confessed to selling two sets of children she gave birth to and stealing 19 other children for onward sale.
Popoola reportedly made the confession while speaking with journalists at the Oyo State Police Command headquarters in Ibadan on Monday.
According to the suspect, she became involved in the alleged criminal activities in October 2024. She claimed to have sold a newborn boy and a set of twins, revealing that she received varying amounts for the children, while the twins were allegedly sold to a clinic in Ogeere for N300,000.
Popoola, who said she has seven biological children, also admitted to stealing children from different locations.
She allegedly explained that she sometimes disguised herself as a prospective tenant to gain access to homes. When she found children unattended, she would allegedly take them away.
The suspect further claimed that she sometimes posed as a spiritualist, targeting parents of children living with disabilities by promising to help them. She allegedly used such opportunities to facilitate the disappearance of other children.
One of the cases under investigation involves a three-year-old boy, Ifakunle Ifagbenro, who reportedly disappeared during an Egungun festival in Oyo Town on June 29, 2026.
Popoola allegedly admitted that she volunteered to carry the boy during the procession before leaving the venue with him.
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She further claimed that six of the 19 children she allegedly kidnapped had died, while 13 were still alive.
The Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Abimbola Olugbenga, said an intelligence-led investigation into the suspected trafficking network had resulted in the rescue of 17 children and the arrest of seven suspects.
According to the police, the investigation uncovered an alleged interstate network involving the stealing, movement, sale and concealment of children.
The police said another suspect, Adekanbi Janet, also known as Hosanna, was traced to Mowe, Ogun State, where four children and two pregnant young women were reportedly rescued.
The investigation also extended to Delta State, where four children allegedly stolen from Oyo State were reportedly rescued in Agbor. Two suspects were arrested in connection with the operation.
Police authorities also said the investigation uncovered allegations that children who died while in the custody of the suspects were allegedly sold to suspected ritualists. Two additional suspects were reportedly arrested over the allegation.
The police have appealed to parents and guardians whose children have gone missing to visit the Oyo State Police Command headquarters in Eleyele, Ibadan, to identify the rescued children and facilitate their reunification with their families.
The investigation remains ongoing as authorities work to uncover the full extent of the alleged child-trafficking network.
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