Woman Arrested for Selling Twins, Stealing Children in Oyo

Adejoke Popoola, a 50-year-old woman, was arrested by the Oyo State Police Command during a crackdown on a child-stealing and trafficking network. She confessed to selling her newborn male twins for N300,000 and stealing at least 13 children, receiving between N80,000 and N120,000 for each child supplied to a woman named Oluwakemi, who allegedly operated a baby industry in Lagos.

Popoola described how she abducted children during public gatherings, including an Egungun festival, where she took a three-year-old child named Ifakunle Ifagbenro, for which she received N900,000. She also targeted families with children with disabilities, offering to help them.

Popoola became involved in this operation after her herb-selling business was destroyed by fire in January 2024. The Oyo State Police have rescued 17 children and arrested seven suspects, while six other children reportedly died in the custody of their abductors.