Police Rescue 4-Year-Old Sold For N3.7m In Ondo

A four-year-old girl who went missing in February has been safely rescued by police operatives in Ondo State, who also uncovered a major child trafficking syndicate operating across three Nigerian states, Ondo, Delta, and Anambra.

The investigation began on February 3, 2025, when a man named Sunday Kingsley reported to police that his daughter, Jesinta, had disappeared while in the care of her mother, Sunday Happiness, at their residence in the Alagbaka Extension area of Akure.

According to a statement released by the Police Public Relations Officer, Olusola Ayanlade, and made available to the press in Akure on Thursday, “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 wife, one Sunday Happiness ‘f’, had gone missing.”

The matter was escalated to the State Command’s Monitoring Unit for a discreet investigation.

As part of the early legal proceedings, two women, Sunday Happiness and another suspect, Nneka Onah, were arraigned at the Family Magistrate Court and remanded at the Ondo Correctional Centre. They were later granted bail.

A breakthrough in the case came months later, on July 9, 2025, when Kingsley informed the police that the missing child had been spotted in Asaba, Delta State.

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Acting swiftly, officers from the Command’s Gender Desk Team traveled to Asaba and successfully recovered Jesinta, returning her safely to Akure.

Further operations led to the arrest of multiple individuals involved in the child trafficking ring.

Among them was a 30-year-old woman, Amaka Chukwuemeka, who made a startling confession: “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.”

According to the statement, “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).”

Subsequent interrogations led to the arrest of Mabel Esimai, who admitted receiving the child from a woman identified as Chioma Okechukwu, aged 37, with instructions to secure a buyer.

The Commissioner of Police in Ondo State, Adebowale Lawal, commended the Gender Desk Team for their professionalism and effectiveness.

He emphasised that the Command would leave no stone unturned in identifying and prosecuting all those involved.

Lawal reaffirmed the police force’s resolve to ensure public safety, stressing that Ondo will not become a haven for traffickers or any form of organised crime.