Couple Arrested for Child Trafficking in Ogun, Three Children Rescued
Detectives from the Mowe Division of the Ogun State Police Command, under the leadership of Divisional Police Officer CSP Afeniforo Folake, have successfully apprehended a married couple, Oluwarankami Kehinde Ugochukwu (female) and her husband Ugochukwu Mathew (male), for their alleged involvement in child theft. The operation also led to the rescue of three stolen children in the Mowe area of Ogun State.
The arrest was prompted by a complaint filed at the Mowe Division on May 17 at approximately 10:00 a.m. A resident of Omo Onile, Mowe, reported that while she was receiving medical treatment at a clinic in Mowe on May 16, the female suspect, Oluwarankami Kehinde Ugochukwu, visited her under the pretense of checking on her condition. The suspect deceitfully took the victim's four-month-old baby, claiming she would assist with care while the mother rested. Subsequently, the suspect absconded with the child.
Upon receiving the report, detectives from the division were immediately deployed. Motor parks and strategic locations in the area were placed under surveillance, and intelligence-led operations were intensified. Acting on credible information, the detectives tracked the suspects to their hideout in the Kekere Ekun area of Mowe on May 18 at about 7:55 p.m. There, the stolen child was rescued, along with two other children found in the suspects' possession. The husband and wife were promptly arrested and taken into custody.
Confirming the arrest, the command's spokesperson, DSP Oluseyi Babaseyi, stated that preliminary investigations revealed that one of the rescued children had been reported missing in a 2024 child stealing case. In that incident, the child was taken from a hairdressing salon using a similar deceptive method, where the suspect pretended to offer assistance. Babaseyi added that the biological parents of two of the rescued children have been contacted and have positively identified their children.
He further mentioned that the case has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in Eleweran for a thorough investigation.
