Police operatives in Ondo State have rescued a missing four-year-old girl and uncovered a child-trafficking syndicate operating across Ondo, Delta, and Anambra States.
The case began on February 3, 2025, when Sunday Kingsley of Alagbaka Extension, Akure, reported that his daughter, Jesinta, went missing while staying with her mother, Sunday Happiness.
Spokesman of the State Police Command, Olusola Ayanlade, disclosed this in a statement issued and made available to journalists in Akure on Thursday.
The statement partly reads: The case began on 3rd February, 2025, when one Sunday Kingsley ‘m’ of Alagbaka Extension, Akure, reported that his 4-year-old daughter, Jesinta Sunday, who was living with his mother, one Sunday Happiness ‘f’, had gone missing.
“The case was transferred to the Monitoring Unit, State Command Headquarters, for discreet investigation. In the course of proceedings, the matter was charged before the Family Magistrate Court, leading to the remand of the child’s mother, one Nneka Onah ‘f’, alongside Sunday Happiness ‘f’, at the Ondo Correctional Centre before they were later granted bail.”
Ayanlade revealed that on 9th July, 2025, the complainant, one Sunday Kingsley, reported to the police that the missing child had been sighted in Asaba, Delta State.
He said immediately, the detectives of the Command’s Gender Desk Team moved into action, successfully recovered the child and brought her back safely to Akure.
The statement further revealed how the syndicate was apprehended:
“The operation also led to the arrest of one Amaka Chukwuemeka ‘f’, aged 30 years, who confessed that she had purchased the child for ₦3,700,000 (Three Million, Seven Hundred Thousand Naira).”
“She further revealed that it was her friend, one Chinaza Owoh ‘f’, aged 38 years, who introduced her to another woman, one Mabel Esimai ‘f’, aged 58 years, who released the child to her under the guise of adoption, providing forged documents in the process.
“This discovery prompted further investigation, which led to the arrest of Mabel Esimai. During interrogation, she disclosed that she received the child from one Chioma Okechukwu ‘f’, aged 37 years, with the instruction to find a buyer.”
The Commissioner of Police in Ondo state, Adebowale Lawal praised the Gender Desk Team for the successful operations. He further directed the team to continue investigations to uncover all collaborators and to prosecute the suspects accordingly.
Lawal assured the public of the commitment of the police to combating criminality in the state. He maintained that Ondo State cannot and will not be a safe haven for child traffickers or any criminal syndicate.
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