Operatives of the Mowe Division of the Ogun State Police Command have dismantled an alleged baby factory syndicate in Abaren Village, Obafemi-Owode Local Government Area, arresting six suspects and rescuing two pregnant women and four children.
The operation, carried out at about 8 a.m. on Monday, August 24, 2026, followed sustained intelligence on alleged human trafficking and illegal adoption activities at a hideout located on Toluwalase Street, Abaren Village, via Gbarinmole, a suburb of Mowe.
According to the Deputy Police Public Relations Officer of the command, ASP Oluborode Opeyemi, preliminary investigations indicated that human trafficking and illegal adoption had allegedly been taking place at the facility for some time.
The operation led to the rescue of two pregnant women identified as 23-year-old Ilesanmi Foluke, who was seven months pregnant, and 20-year-old Ejekwa Melody, who was eight months pregnant.
Four children, comprising two boys and two girls, were also rescued during the raid.
Six suspects were arrested in connection with the operation. They were identified as Florence Glory Ogbona, 58; Magdalene Julius, 63; Oseni Kusamotu Idaya, an attending nurse; Chidike Egwuonwu, 40; Onyechu Chidike, 35; and Stephen Ogbona, 39.
Opeyemi disclosed that further intelligence-led operations took police operatives to a hospital within the Mowe axis, where another victim, 26-year-old Blessing Bright Effiong, had reportedly given birth to a baby boy on August 20.
He said the whereabouts of the newborn could not be established while Effiong was receiving medical treatment, prompting the arrest of the attending nurse as investigations continued to locate the missing infant.
The Deputy PPRO said the case had been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Eleweran, Abeokuta, for further investigation.
He added that the investigation would seek to establish the full extent of the alleged syndicate’s activities, locate the missing newborn and ensure that anyone found culpable faces prosecution.
The Commissioner of Police in Ogun State, Bode Ojajuni, commended the operatives for the successful operation and reaffirmed the command’s commitment to tackling human trafficking, child trading and other forms of violent crime across the state.
The police boss also urged residents to remain vigilant and provide timely and credible information to security agencies, assuring the public that the command would continue to deploy intelligence-led policing to protect residents and safeguard vulnerable persons.