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Police in Nigeria’s Ondo State have successfully rescued a missing four-year-old girl and, in the process, dismantled a child-trafficking network that was operating across Ondo, Delta, and Anambra States.
The case began on February 3, 2025, when Sunday Kingsley, a resident of Alagbaka Extension, Akure, reported that his daughter, Jesinta, had disappeared while staying with her mother, Sunday Happiness.
Spokesperson for the Ondo State Police Command, Olusola Ayanlade, disclosed this in a statement issued on Thursday, September 25, 2025.
According to him, the case was transferred to the Monitoring Unit of the State Command Headquarters for thorough investigation.
It was subsequently charged before the Family Magistrates’ Court, resulting in the remand of the child’s mother, Sunday Happiness, and another woman, Nneka Onah, at the Ondo Correctional Centre. They were later granted bail.
On July 9, 2025, Kingsley reported to the police that the missing girl had been sighted in Asaba, Delta State.
Detectives from the Command’s Gender Desk Team immediately launched an operation, successfully recovering Jesinta and returning her safely to Akure.
Further investigations exposed a child-trafficking syndicate behind the abduction.
Police arrested 30-year-old Amaka Chukwuemeka, who admitted to purchasing the child for ₦3.7 million. She claimed her friend, 38-year-old Chinaza Owoh, had introduced her to 58-year-old Mabel Esimai, who released the girl under the pretence of legal adoption and provided forged documents.
Esimai later confessed that she received the child from 37-year-old Chioma Okechukwu, who instructed her to find a buyer.
Commissioner of Police in Ondo State, Adebowale Lawal, praised the Gender Desk Team for their swift and effective action.
He ordered them to continue their investigation to identify all accomplices and ensure they face prosecution.
Lawal assured residents of the police command’s commitment to fighting crime, stressing that Ondo State “will never be a haven for child traffickers or any other criminal network.”
