How I sold my own babies, stole 19 children, Oyo trafficking suspect confesses

How I sold my babies and stole 19 children — Oyo trafficking suspect confesses

A suspected member of a child-stealing and trafficking syndicate, Adejoke Popoola, has explained how she allegedly sold two sets of children she gave birth to and stole other children for onward

Popoola, who spoke to journalists on Monday at the Oyo State Police Command headquarters in Ibadan, said she had been involved in the activities since October 2024.

She claimed to have sold a newborn boy and a set of twins, adding that the twins were sold to a clinic in Ogeere for N300,000.

“God blessed me with the gift of pregnancy. Anytime a man has sex with me twice, I get pregnant, and it is always difficult to abort.

“I sold two sets of children last year—a newborn boy and a set of twins. I sold the twins to a clinic in Ogeere. The owner also resells them to customers in Lagos. She has a baby industry.

“When the person responsible for the pregnancy rejects the baby, that is when I sell it. Sometimes, I get N80,000 or N120,000 for each child I sell.

“The clinic in Ogeere gave me N300,000 for the twins,” she said.

Popoola said she had seven children of her own, some of whom were married.

“I gave birth to seven children. Some are married. My youngest child is six years old, while the eldest is 34,” she said.

She also admitted to stealing children, explaining that she sometimes disguised herself as someone seeking to rent a house before taking children when their parents were away.

“I steal babies. I go to their homes and say I want to rent a house. If I do not see anyone and find children there, I steal them,” she said.

Popoola said a woman she worked with at Ogeere Market taught her how to steal children.

She also claimed to have posed as a spiritualist and targeted parents whose children had disabilities.

“Sometimes, I disguise myself as a spiritualist. Parents bring their disabled children to me because they cannot talk, sit or walk. I promise them that I can help heal the children, then I go and pick up another person’s child for them,” she said.

According to Popoola, she had been involved in the alleged activities since October 2024 while selling herbs at Ariyo Bus Stop, Olunloyo.

She further recounted how she allegedly stole a three-year-old boy, Ifakunle Ifagbenro, during an Egungun festival in Oyo Town.

“I went to an Egungun festival to steal a child, Ifakunle. I woke up early and asked a motorcyclist to take me to the venue.

“When I arrived, they were praying, so I joined them and even gave them money for the prayer.

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

“I joined the procession and, in the evening, picked up the boy, carried him on my back and ran away with him,” she said.

Popoola claimed that six children had died out of the 19 she allegedly kidnapped.

“About six of the 19 children I kidnapped died, but 13 are alive,” she said.

The Oyo State Police Command had earlier announced that it had 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 allegedly involved in the 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 the investigation began with a petition dated July 29, 2026, submitted by Popoola, also known as Orente Alagbo, of the Sogade area of Ariyo, Ibadan.

According to him, detectives were later alerted to the disappearance of Ifakunle, who reportedly went missing during an annual masquerade festival in Oyo Town on June 29.

Olugbenga said Popoola had offered to carry the child during the event and disappeared from the venue with him shortly afterwards.

He said photographs and video recordings from the event showed Popoola carrying the child, while further investigation established that she was with him around the time of his disappearance.

The CP said Popoola was arrested on August 4 and allegedly admitted attending the masquerade festival and leaving with the missing child.

He said her statement provided the first major breakthrough in the investigation,