Authorities from the Ondo State Police Command have successfully located a missing four-year-old girl, exposing a child trafficking ring spanning Ondo, Delta, and Anambra States.
The investigation commenced on February 3, 2025, when Sunday Kingsley, a resident of Alagbaka Extension in Akure, reported the disappearance of his daughter, Jesinta, who was under the care of her mother, Sunday Happiness.
According to Olusola Ayanlade, the spokesperson for the State Police Command, the case was officially announced in a statement released to the press in Akure on Thursday, September 25, 2025.
“On February 3, 2025, Sunday Kingsley of Alagbaka Extension, Akure, reported that his four-year-old daughter, Jesinta Sunday, living with his wife, Sunday Happiness, had gone missing,” the statement detailed.
Following the report, the matter was assigned to the Monitoring Unit at the State Command Headquarters for a confidential inquiry. The case was subsequently brought before the Family Magistrate Court, resulting in the detention of Jesinta’s mother, Nneka Onah, alongside Sunday Happiness, at the Ondo Correctional Centre. Both were later released on bail.
On July 9, 2025, the complainant informed the police that Jesinta had been spotted in Asaba, Delta State. Promptly, the Gender Desk Team of the Command launched an operation that led to the child’s safe recovery and return to Akure.
During the investigation, 30-year-old Amaka Chukwuemeka was apprehended. She admitted to purchasing the child for the sum of N3,700,000 (Three Million, Seven Hundred Thousand Naira).
Amaka revealed that a friend, 38-year-old Chinaza Owoh, introduced her to a 58-year-old woman named Mabel Esimai, who handed over the child under the pretense of adoption, accompanied by falsified documents.
Further inquiries led to the arrest of Mabel Esimai, who confessed that she had received Jesinta from 37-year-old Chioma Okechukwu with instructions to find a buyer for the child.
Ondo State Police Commissioner Adebowale Lawal commended the Gender Desk Team for their diligent work in dismantling the trafficking network. He instructed the team to continue their probe to identify all accomplices and ensure the suspects face legal consequences.
Commissioner Lawal reassured the public of the police’s unwavering dedication to eradicating crime within the state, emphasizing that Ondo will never serve as a refuge for child traffickers or any criminal enterprises.
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