The Ogun State Police Command has arrested a husband and wife suspected of involvement in child stealing and rescued three children in the Mowe area of Ogun State.
The command’s spokesperson, DSP Oluseyi Babaseyi, confirmed the development in a statement issued on Wednesday, identifying the suspects as Oluwarankami Kehinde Ugochukwu and her husband, Ugochukwu Mathew.
According to the police, the arrest followed a complaint filed at the Mowe Division on May 17, 2026, at about 10:00 a.m. by a resident of Omo Onile, Mowe, who alleged that her four-month-old baby was stolen under false pretences.
“The arrest followed a complaint lodged at Mowe Division on 17/05/2026 at about 10:00 a.m. by a resident of Omo Onile, Mowe, who reported that while she was receiving medical attention at a clinic in Mowe on 16/05/2026, one of the suspects, Oluwarankami Kehinde Ugochukwu (female), visited under the guise of checking on her condition, deceitfully collected her four-month-old baby on the pretext of assisting with care while the mother rested, and thereafter absconded with the child,” the statement read.
The police said detectives immediately launched intelligence-led operations after receiving the report.
“Upon receipt of the report, detectives of the division were immediately mobilised. Motor parks and strategic locations within the area were placed under surveillance while intelligence-led operations were intensified,” the statement added.
According to the command, the suspects were eventually traced to their hideout in the Kekere Ekun area of Mowe, where the stolen baby and two other children were rescued.
“Acting on credible intelligence, detectives tracked the suspects to their hideout at Kekere Ekun area of Mowe on 18/05/2026 at about 7:55 p.m., where the stolen child was rescued alongside two other children found in their possession,” the police said.
The command further disclosed that preliminary investigations revealed that one of the rescued children had previously been declared missing in a 2024 child-stealing case.
“Preliminary investigation revealed that one of the children found with the suspects had earlier been declared missing in a 2024 child-stealing case, in which the child was taken from a hairdressing salon using the same deceptive method of pretending to offer assistance,” the statement noted.
Police authorities also confirmed that the biological parents of two of the rescued children have already identified their children.
