Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The arrest of Kikelomo Jimoh did not come easily. Detectives attached to the Ibafo Division of the Ogun State Police Command had been working the case for weeks, following leads, gathering intelligence, and building a picture of a criminal network that traded in the most vulnerable members of society. When they finally caught up with the 36-year-old, she did not resist. Instead, according to the police statement issued on Friday, September 11, 2026, by the Command's spokesperson, DSP Oluseyi Babasuyi, she confessed. And then she did something that would unravel the entire operation: she led the detectives to the residence of Blessing Anochike, a 60-year-old woman living in the Ibafo area of Obafemi Owode Local Government Area. What the officers found inside that house would confirm their worst suspicions and set off a chain of revelations that is still unfolding.
Three children were rescued from Anochike's residence. Their names are Christiana Olowokere, a 14-year-old girl; Olamilekan Abdurusheed, a 16-year-old boy; and Adeniji Rebecca, a 12-year-old girl. They were not together by accident. They were not runaways who had found shelter. They were, according to the police, the human cargo of a child-stealing gang that had been operating in the area, and the circumstances that brought each of them to that house tell a story of exploitation, neglect, and the terrifying ease with which children can disappear in Nigeria.
Christiana Olowokere was allegedly sold for N500,000. The police said preliminary findings indicated that the 14-year-old had been traded like a commodity, bought and paid for by someone who wanted a child and found a gang willing to provide one. Olamilekan Abdurusheed's path to the house was different but equally tragic. He had absconded from his parents, the police said, and in his vulnerability, he was allegedly abducted. He was not sold, but he was taken, his absence from home making him an easy target for a gang that preyed on children who had no one watching over them. Adeniji Rebecca's story remains the most opaque. The police said the circumstances surrounding her movement and custody were still under investigation. They did not say how she got there, who brought her, or what had been planned for her. The 12-year-old is safe now, but the full truth of her ordeal has yet to be established.
The suspects are three women. Kikelomo Jimoh is 36. Blessing Anochike is 60. Kayode Elizabeth's age was not disclosed. They are accused of operating as a three-member gang, with Anochike's residence serving as the holding point where the children were kept. The police said the breakthrough began with Jimoh's arrest, which followed a sustained intelligence-led investigation into a reported case of child stealing. Her confession and subsequent cooperation led detectives to Anochike's home, where the rescue operation was carried out. The third suspect, Elizabeth, was also taken into custody. All three remain in police custody, and the case has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department in Eleweran, Abeokuta, for what the police described as a discreet and comprehensive investigation to establish the full circumstances of the case, determine the individual roles of the suspects, and identify any other persons connected to the alleged criminal enterprise.
The Commissioner of Police, Ogun State Command, CP Bode Ojajuni, commended the detectives for their swift response and investigative diligence. He reassured residents that the command remained proactive and resolute in detecting, disrupting and dismantling criminal networks that target vulnerable members of society. But his most pointed remarks were directed at the public. He called on parents, guardians, community leaders, schools, transport operators and members of the public to remain vigilant and promptly report any unexplained disappearance of a child, suspicious movements, unusual custody arrangements, or activities suggesting the sale, abduction or exploitation of children. "A child's safety is everyone's responsibility," the statement said. "See Something. Say Something. Stay Safe."
The rescue of Christiana, Olamilekan and Adeniji is a victory, but it is a victory that raises uncomfortable questions. How many other children have passed through that house and disappeared into a network that the police have not yet fully mapped? How many parents are still searching for children who were sold for N500,000 or less? The police have said the investigation is ongoing and that they are working to identify other persons connected to the gang. The three survivors are safe, but the network that traded them is not yet dismantled. For the families of the rescued children, there will be relief, but also the long and difficult process of healing from an ordeal that no child should ever have to endure.
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