Detectives of the Mowe Division of the Ogun State Police Command have arrested a husband and wife over alleged child stealing and rescued three stolen children in the Mowe area of the state.
The state Command’s spokesperson, DSP Oluseyi Babaseyi, made this known to journalists on Wednesday.
According to him, the suspects, identified as Oluwarankami Kehinde Ugochukwu and her husband, Ugochukwu Mathew, were arrested following a complaint lodged at the division on 17 May 2026 by a resident of Omo Onile, Mowe.
The complainant reported that while receiving treatment at a clinic on 16 May, the female suspect visited under the guise of checking on her condition and offered to assist with caring for her four-month-old baby while she rested. The suspect, however, allegedly disappeared with the child.
Following the report, detectives immediately launched an intelligence-led operation, placing motor parks and other strategic locations under surveillance. Acting on credible intelligence, operatives tracked the suspects to their hideout at the Kekere Ekun area of Mowe on 18 May at about 7:55 p.m.
The stolen baby was rescued during the operation alongside two other children found in the suspects’ possession, while the couple were taken into custody.
Preliminary investigations revealed that one of the rescued children had earlier been declared missing in a 2024 child stealing case, where the child was allegedly taken from a hairdressing salon using a similar deceptive method.
Police said the biological parents of two of the rescued children have been contacted and have positively identified their wards.
The case has since been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Eleweran, for further investigation.
The Commissioner of Police, Ogun State Command, CP Bode Ojajuni, commended officers of the Mowe Division for their swift response and professionalism, reiterating the command’s commitment to combating child trafficking, abduction and other violent crimes across the state.
