The Ondo State Police Command has rescued a missing four-year-old girl and uncovered a child-trafficking network that operates across Ondo, Delta, and Anambra States.
The operation followed a report made earlier this year by one Mr. Sunday Kingsley of Alagbaka Extension, Akure, whose daughter, Jesinta Sunday, had gone missing on February 3, 2025, while staying with her mother.
In a statement released in Akure on Thursday, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Olusola Ayanlade, confirmed the breakthrough. He said the case was swiftly transferred to the Monitoring Unit at the State Command Headquarters for deeper investigation.
According to the PPRO, “The case began on 3rd February, 2025, when one Sunday Kingsley ‘m’ of Alagbaka Extension, Akure, reported that his 4-year-old daughter, Jesinta Sunday, who was living with his wife, one Sunday Happiness ‘f’, had gone missing.”
The investigation soon led to the arrest and arraignment of the child’s mother, Sunday Happiness, along with another woman identified as Nneka Onah. Both were remanded at the Ondo Correctional Centre following court proceedings at the Family Magistrate Court. They were later granted bail.
While details of how the girl was eventually found are still emerging, police sources confirmed that Jesinta was located safely and reunited with her family. Further investigations revealed that her disappearance was linked to a broader child-trafficking syndicate that spans at least three southern Nigerian states — Ondo, Delta, and Anambra.
The Ondo State Police Command says more arrests are likely as they continue to trace the network of individuals involved in the trafficking ring. Authorities are also working with law enforcement counterparts in the other affected states.
The police have urged parents to be more vigilant and report any suspicious movements or persons around their children. They also called on communities to assist security agencies with useful information that can help stop child trafficking, which remains a growing concern in parts of Nigeria.
