The Oyo State Police Command has uncovered a suspected child-stealing and trafficking syndicate operating across states, rescuing 17 children and arresting seven suspects in connection with the investigation.
The Commissioner of Police, Abimbola Olugbenga, disclosed this during a press briefing at the command headquarters in Eleyele, Ibadan, on Monday.
Olugbenga said the breakthrough followed an intelligence-led investigation that began with a petition but later exposed a wider criminal network involved in the alleged stealing, movement, sale and concealment of children.
He said the investigation also uncovered allegations of other criminal activities, including the reported use of deceased children for ritual purposes.
The CP said, “What commenced as an investigation into a petition has, through painstaking investigative work, uncovered a wider network extending beyond Oyo State, resulting in the rescue of 17 children and the arrest of seven suspects.
