An Oyo State child-trafficking suspect, Adejoke Popoola, has allegedly confessed to selling two sets of children she gave birth to and stealing 19 other children as police uncovered a suspected interstate trafficking network in Ibadan, Oyo State.

Popoola made the claims while speaking to journalists at the Oyo State Police Command headquarters in Ibadan on Monday, September 7, 2026, following her arrest in connection with the disappearance of a three-year-old boy during an Egungun festival in Oyo Town.

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The suspect said she had been involved in the alleged activities since October 2024, claiming that she sold a newborn boy and a set of twins.

Popoola alleged that the twins were sold to a clinic in Ogeere for ₦300,000, while she sometimes received between ₦80,000 and ₦120,000 for individual children.

“I have sold two sets of children, a newborn boy and twins as well, last year,” she said.

The suspect claimed she had seven children of her own, with some already married, and said her youngest child was six years old while her eldest was 34.

Popoola also allegedly admitted to stealing children by posing as a prospective tenant and visiting homes where she believed children could be found without adequate supervision.

“I steal babies. I will go to their place and say I want to rent a house. Then, if I do not see anyone, if I see their children, I will just steal their children,” she said.

She claimed that a woman she met while working at Ogeere Market taught her how to steal children.

Popoola further alleged that she sometimes posed as a spiritualist and targeted families with children living with disabilities.

According to her account, she would promise parents that she could help their children recover before allegedly taking another child and presenting that child to them.

One of the cases under investigation involves Ifakunle Ifagbenro, a three-year-old boy who disappeared during an Egungun festival in Oyo Town on June 29, 2026.

Popoola allegedly told police that she travelled to the festival, joined prayers at a house and later volunteered to help carry Ifakunle during the procession.

“When the Egungun left, the boy told his mother that he did not want to stay at home and wanted to join the procession. So, I volunteered to help hold the boy,” she said.

She alleged that she later carried the boy away from the procession and fled.

According to Oyo State Commissioner of Police Abimbola Olugbenga, Popoola was arrested on August 4 after an intelligence-led investigation into the child’s disappearance.

The police commissioner said photographs and video footage from the festival showed Popoola carrying the missing boy, while further investigation placed her with him around the time he disappeared.

Olugbenga said Popoola’s alleged confession became a major breakthrough in the investigation, with the suspect reportedly disclosing information about more than 15 children allegedly stolen from churches, parties and other events in Oyo State and beyond.

Police subsequently traced Adekanbi Janet, also known as Hosanna, whom Popoola allegedly identified as an accomplice, to Mowe in Ogun State.

Four children aged between two and four years and two pregnant women were reportedly rescued from Janet’s custody.

According to Olugbenga, investigators were told that some stolen children were kept until buyers were found, while pregnant women were allegedly housed until they gave birth.

Information obtained during the investigation also helped detectives locate Ifakunle around the Gbagi area of Ibadan, where police rescued him on August 20.

The investigation later expanded beyond Oyo and Ogun states.

On September 2, detectives travelled to Agbor in Delta State, where four children allegedly stolen from Oyo State were rescued from people suspected of having bought them.

Police arrested Christopher Joy, 48, and Rosemary Jesse, 53, in connection with the operation.

The commissioner said the interstate findings pointed to a wider trafficking network involving the movement, sale and concealment of children.

The investigation also took a disturbing turn after police said suspects disclosed an alleged ritual dimension to the network.

Olugbenga said investigators were told that when some children died while in the custody of suspected traffickers, their bodies were allegedly sold to suspected ritualists.

Police subsequently arrested Muritala Fasasi, an Alfa, and Yakubu Azeez, a herbalist, over the allegations.

The police command said it had so far rescued 17 children, while six children allegedly died while in the custody of their abductors.

The children reportedly identified as deceased were Musharaf Lawal Tajudeen, 2; Greatness Adeagbo, 5; Sainat Amoo, 2; Taiwo Usman, 2; Daniel Solomon Olayinka, 7; and Miracle Olaniyi, 4.

The allegations remain subject to police investigation and any subsequent judicial proceedings.

The Oyo State Police Command has appealed to parents and guardians whose children have gone missing to visit its headquarters in Eleyele, Ibadan, to check whether any of the rescued children are their relatives.

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The investigation is continuing as detectives work to establish the full scale of the suspected network, identify other people involved and reunite rescued children with their families.