Ondo police rescued a four-year-old girl sold for N3.7m, exposing a trafficking syndicate spanning three states.
The Ondo State Police Command has rescued a four-year-old girl allegedly sold for N3.7 million by a child-trafficking syndicate spanning Ondo, Delta, and Anambra states.
Police spokesperson, Ayanlade Olayinka, described the recovery as “a major breakthrough” in the fight against human trafficking.
The case began when Sunday Kingsley of Alagbaka Extension, Akure, reported that his daughter, Jesinta, went missing while in the care of her mother, Sunday Happiness.
Initial suspects were remanded before being granted bail, but the breakthrough came when Kingsley sighted the child in Asaba, Delta State.
Acting on this lead, detectives from the Command’s Gender Desk Team recovered Jesinta and reunited her with her family.
Police arrested 30-year-old Amaka Chukwuemeka, who allegedly confessed to purchasing the child for N3.7 million, while linking the deal to others within the syndicate.
Olayinka vowed that “Ondo State cannot and will not be a safe haven for child traffickers,” adding that investigations are ongoing to apprehend all collaborators.