Ogun Police Command has arrested a 54-year-old woman, one Patience Chikieze for allegedly engaging in child trafficking. The mother of two was paraded alongside twenty-four other suspected criminals for different offences.
The new commissioner for police in the state, Lanre Ogunlowo, while parading the suspects at the state police headquarters in Eleweran, Abeokuta, the state capital, promised the reinvigoration of the security architecture of the state for better security of life and property.
ThankGod Taiwo aged 35, 54-year-old Patience Chikieze, and 43-year-old Oluyinka were alleged to be members of a child stealing and illegal adoption syndicate headed by one Mama Faith currently remanded for related offence at Ibara Correctional Center, Abeokuta.
Taiwo of the Oluke area of Ijoko Ota was said to have been picked up in his hideout after kidnapping seven-year-old Mercy Akande whom he sold to Patience Chikieze for N650,000 at Ipaja Roundabout, Lagos State.
The state Commissioner of Police said that on December 29, Chikieze was arrested in the Lafenwa-Itele area of the state after which she led detectives to her house where Mercy was rescued unhurt.
She was said to have confessed that her waiting buyer rejected the stolen child because she was overaged.
“Earlier in August 2024, Patience Chikieze bought another stolen child, Mohees Daniel 3yrs old from ThankGod for N250,000.00 and she gave the child for adoption for Three Million Naira (N3,000,000.00),” he said.
“Patience Chikieze also bought David Jesulayomi from Oluyinka Folake of
Papalanto, Ewekoro, Ogun State for one million five hundred thousand.
“The child was also recovered from the adopters Oluyinka Folake confessed that the stolen child, David Jesulayomi was brought to her by one woman from Osun state before she sold him to Patience Chikieze.
“Patience Chikieze, Oluyinka Folake, and Thankgod Taiwo belong to a criminal syndicate working for one Mama Faith who is currently remanded in Ibara Correctional Center for related offences.
“Patience Chikieze created Prema Consult WhatsApp group to enable people to contact her under the guise of children adoption.
“The suspects confessed to have committed the crime and will be charged to court after completing the investigation into the case”.
The new state commissioner of police Lanre Ogunlowo who resumed about three weeks ago as the substantive helmsman in the state has however warned the criminal elements to either have a change of heart or have the rough edges of the law to contend with.
While promising a tough time for criminal elements in the state, he urged residents of Ogun to always support the police with timely intelligence to help fight all forms of criminalities to a standstill.
Ogunlowo also disclosed that the command has arrested three alleged fraudsters, 31-year-old Tolani Jeremiah, Akande Suru aged 20, and 24-year-old Edwin Jatto for hacking into the WhatsApp account of the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Bode Ojajuni, the Head of Crime Investigation Department of the state police command.
The suspects who were later picked up at their hideout in Edo State were alleged to have used the same WhatsApp account to defraud the family and friends of the police boss to the tune of N1,115,000.
The trio was among about 25 suspects paraded on Monday at the Ogun State Police Command Headquarters, Eleweran, Abeokuta, for various criminal activities ranging from kidnapping, ritual killing, murder, theft, and sale of children for illegal adoption among others.
Addressing journalists during the parade, the CP explained that “The suspects hacked the WhatsApp account of GSM No. 08034062773 belonging to DCP. Bode Ojajuni of State CID, Eleweran. The hacker took total control of the WhatsApp account and sent messages to family and friends of the victim demanding that money be sent to Moniepoint account number 6862703892, Ichioma Ojo.
“The hackers defrauded the victim’s family and friends of the sum of one million one, one hundred and fifteen thousand (N1,115,000.00) naira under false pretense that the victim needed urgent financial assistance.”