Husband, Wife Steal Three Children In Mowe

The Ogun State Police Command has arrested a husband and wife, Oluwarankami Ugochukwu and her husband, Ugochukwu Mathew, for allegedly stealing three children in the Mowe area of Ogun State.

According to a statement from the Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Oluseyi Babaseyi, on Wednesday, the arrest followed a complaint lodged at Mowe Division on Monday 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 Ugochukwu, visited under the guise of checking on her condition and deceitfully collected her four-month-old baby on the pretext of assisting with care while the mother rested, and thereafter absconded with the child.

“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. Acting on credible intelligence, detectives tracked the suspects to their hideout at Kekere Ekun area of Mowe on 18/05/2026 at about 7:55pm, where the stolen child was rescued alongside two other children found in their possession. The husband and wife suspects were promptly arrested and taken into custody.

“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 biological parents of two of the rescued children have been contacted and have positively identified their wards,” Babaseyi said.

Meanwhile, the case has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Eleweran, for further investigation.

The Commissioner of Police, Ogun State Command, Bode Ojajuni, also commended the swift response, professionalism, and commitment of the officers and men of Mowe Division, whose proactive efforts led to the arrest of the suspects and rescue of the children.

The CP reiterated the Command’s resolve to sustain the fight against child trafficking, abduction, and other violent crimes across the State.