The Zone 2 Police Command, Onikan, Lagos State, has busted a notorious child trafficking syndicate, rescuing five stolen children and arresting eight suspects, including a mother who sold her biological son for N1.5m.
The recovered children, aged between one and six years old, were found in various locations across the country. The police also uncovered how members of the syndicate stole and sold newborn babies, toddlers, and children of different ages.
The Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) in charge of Zone 2, Adegoke Fayoade, briefed journalists on the arrest and recovery, stating that the operation was made possible through collaboration between the police and other security and government agencies.
The suspects, including 22-year-old Faith Sunday, who sold her son, were arrested by operatives of the Zone 2 Police Command. The police recovered a total of five children who had been bought and trafficked at different times.
According to the police, the syndicate comprised Sunday Okputu as the supplier of the children, Ibezim Chioma as the middle person, and Chinaza Echelibe as the caregiver. The police team, led by CSP Ngozi Braide, recovered the children and arrested the suspects after receiving intelligence reports on the syndicate’s activities.
Faith Sunday confessed to selling her son due to poverty and her inability to care for him. She claimed the child’s father had abandoned them without proper care.
