Odita Sunday 
Ogun Police Bust Child-Stealing Syndicate, Rescue Three Abducted Children In Mowe
By Odita Sunday
Operatives of the Ogun State Police Command have cracked a suspected child-stealing syndicate in Mowe, arresting a husband and wife while rescuing three stolen children, including a four-month-old baby allegedly abducted from a clinic by a woman who posed as a caregiver.
The suspects, identified as Oluwarankami Kehinde Ugochukwu ‘F’ and her husband, Ugochukwu Mathew ‘M’, were arrested by detectives attached to the Mowe Division following an intelligence-led operation coordinated by the Divisional Police Officer, CSP AFENIFORO FOLAKE.
According to the Police, the operation was launched after a complaint was lodged at the Mowe Division on May 17, 2026, by a resident of Omo Onile, Mowe, who reported that her four-month-old baby had been stolen a day earlier while she was receiving treatment at a clinic in the area.
DSP Oluseyi B. Babaseyi,
Police Public Relations Officer,
Ogun State Command, Eleweran, Abeokuta, in a statement issued on May 20, 2026 said Oluwarankami Kehinde Ugochukwu allegedly visited the woman under the guise of checking on her condition and deceitfully collected the baby on the pretext of assisting to care for the child while the mother rested, before disappearing with the infant.
Following the report, detectives immediately commenced surveillance operations across motor parks and other strategic locations within the area while intensifying intelligence gathering efforts.
The suspects were eventually tracked to their hideout at Kekere Ekun area of Mowe on May 18, 2026, at about 7:55pm, where the stolen baby was rescued alongside two other children found in their possession.
Investigations further revealed that one of the rescued children had earlier been declared missing in a 2024 child-stealing case in which the victim was reportedly taken from a hairdressing salon using a similar deceptive tactic.
Police authorities disclosed that the biological parents of two of the rescued children had been contacted and had positively identified their wards.
The case has since been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Eleweran, for further discreet investigation.
Commending the swift response and professionalism of officers attached to the Mowe Division, the Commissioner of Police, Ogun State Command, CP Bode Ojajuni, reaffirmed the Command’s determination to sustain the fight against child trafficking, abduction, and other violent crimes across the state.
The Command also urged residents to remain vigilant and report suspicious activities through its emergency lines.
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