By Ado Oyeyemi
A distraught mother has visited the Oyo State Police Command in Ibadan in search of her four-year-old daughter, following the rescue of 17 children allegedly linked to a child trafficking syndicate.
The woman, identified as Kate Egbewunmi, a resident of Osogbo, Osun State, said her only child, Bose, disappeared about three months ago while playing outside their home.
Egbewunmi reportedly travelled to the police headquarters at Eleyele, Ibadan, after hearing that several children had been rescued, hoping that her daughter might be among them.
“I am a single mother. Bose is my only child. I heard some children had been rescued and came here hoping to find her,” she said.
The Oyo State Police Command had appealed to parents and guardians whose children had gone missing to visit the headquarters and assist officers in identifying the rescued victims.
The state Commissioner of Police, Abimbola Olugbenga, disclosed that investigations into an alleged child trafficking network had resulted in the recovery of 17 children from Oyo, Ogun and Delta states.
According to him, the investigation began following a petition concerning alleged conspiracy and cyberbullying but later uncovered a wider criminal operation involving the alleged abduction, sale and concealment of children.
The police identified one of the key suspects as Adejoke Popoola, popularly known as Orente Alagbo. Investigators alleged that Popoola confessed to abducting more than 15 children, aged between two and seven, from churches, parties and other public gatherings.
The police also said the investigation had uncovered an alleged ritual aspect to the activities of the syndicate.
One of the suspects reportedly told investigators that some children who died while in captivity were allegedly sold to ritualists.
The command said efforts were ongoing to identify additional victims, apprehend other members of the suspected syndicate and reunite the rescued children with their families.
The police urged parents and guardians with missing children to report to the command headquarters with relevant information that could assist the investigation and identification process.
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For Egbewunmi, however, the search remains deeply personal as she continues to hope for the safe return of her only child, three months after Bose disappeared.
