In a significant operation, the Ondo State Police Command has apprehended a three-member syndicate allegedly involved in child abduction and trafficking, leading to the rescue of 14 children aged between one week and seven years.
The suspects, identified as Lukman Isiaka (42), Abosede Olanipekun, and Sabira Izuorah (62), were arrested following a report from a mother whose 18-month-old child was abducted in Akure. According to Wilfred Afolabi, the Commissioner of Police, Isiaka and Olanipekun would visit shops under the pretense of being siblings. While Olanipekun engaged the shop owner, Isiaka would abduct the child. Investigations led the police to Ottah Village in Edo State, where Isiaka and Olanipekun were apprehended. During interrogation, they confessed to abducting children from Ondo and Osun States and selling them to Izuorah in Ihiala, Anambra State, for ₦1 million per child.
Subsequently, Izuorah was arrested in Ihiala, and four infants were recovered from her residence. The rescued babies were identified as Baby Favour (three weeks old), Baby Chidera (two weeks old), Baby Chinyere (two months and five days old), and Baby Uzoma (one week old). On January 14, ten additional children sold by Izuorah were rescued from various locations and have been reunited with their families. The Commissioner of Police added that some children remain unaccounted for, and efforts are ongoing to locate and rescue them.
This operation underscores the commitment of the Ondo State Police Command to combat child trafficking and protect vulnerable children. The suspects are currently undergoing interrogation and will be charged to court upon completion of the investigation.
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