Detectives from Mowe Division have arrested a husband and wife, Oluwarankami Kehinde Ugochukwu and Ugochukwu Mathew, for alleged child stealing and rescued three children in the Mowe area of Ogun State. The breakthrough followed a complaint on 17 May 2026 from a resident who said the female suspect visited her at a clinic on 16 May, collected her four-month-old baby under the pretense of helping with care, and fled with the child.
Acting on intelligence, police placed motor parks and key locations under surveillance and tracked the suspects to their hideout in Kekere Ekun, Mowe, on 18 May at about 7:55 pm. Officers rescued the stolen baby and found two other children with the couple. Preliminary investigations show one of the children had been reported missing in a 2024 case where a child was taken from a hairdressing salon using the same trick. The parents of two of the rescued children have identified their wards, and the case has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department for further investigation.
The Commissioner of Police, CP Bode Ojajuni, commended the swift and professional response of Mowe Division officers and reaffirmed the Command’s resolve to tackle child trafficking and abduction. He urged residents to remain vigilant and report suspicious activity through the Command’s emergency lines: Gateway Shield 0800 000 9111, and 0906 283 7609, 0912 014 1706, 0915 102 7369, 0708 497 2994.
