By David Akinadewo-Adekahunsi
In a dramatic rescue operation, the Ondo State Security Network Agency, known as the Amotekun Corps, has successfully recovered a young boy named Eriponmile who was abducted from the Davog area of Ijoka, Akure.
The operation also led to the arrest of key members of a suspected child trafficking and organ harvesting syndicate operating across state lines.
Ondo State Amotekun Commander, Akogun Adetunji Adeleye, while parading the suspects at the corps headquarters in Akure, praised his team’s swift and effective response, stating that the rescue was achieved within 48 hours of the boy’s abduction.
“We received a distress call from the Ijoka Davog area that Eriponmile had been kidnapped and taken away, and we immediately swung into action.
“Within 48 hours, our indicators showed that Eriponmile was already outside Ondo State. We spread out our dragnet, deployed our plainclothes operatives, and by the grace of God, we were able to bring Eriponmile back to Ondo State to be reunited with his mother and father,” he disclosed.
The Amotekun boss revealed that the operation culminated in tracking the boy to a hospital in the eastern part of the country, where medical tests had already been conducted to ascertain his suitability for organ harvesting.
He noted that the child had been declared “medically fit to be harvested” by a suspect identified as Amaka, who is believed to be a major figure in the network.
Adeleye stated that subsequent investigations and confessions from the suspects revealed the horrifying scale of the syndicate’s activities.
Among those arrested were Amaka, Ifeanyi, Adaeze, Etose, Omolara, and two other individuals still at large.
According to Adeleye, the group has a long history of abducting children for ritual purposes and organ trade, with evidence pointing to multiple cases across different states.
One of the arrested suspects, 20-year-old Adaeze Kenneth, who is the daughter of the alleged ringleader Amaka Ngozi, gave chilling details of how the operation worked.
“I’m the first daughter of Amaka Ngozi. I’m a baker, and my shop is at Sijuade. Before this, a lady was pregnant and said she didn’t want the baby. She met with my mum, and they took the baby to Anambra State, saying someone needed the baby there. After they returned, they rented an apartment. Since then, I’ve distanced myself because when she was going, she asked me to follow her and I said no. I wasn’t rewarded with any money.”
Another suspect, Amaka Kenneth, aged 35, confessed to her involvement in the sale of babies.
“I used to sell clothes before my husband died. I now take babies to a motherless baby’s home in Onitsha to sell for ₦500,000 per child. Myself, Tosin, and Mr. Adewale Olokungboye are the ones doing it,” she stated.
Even more disturbing was the confession of a woman who admitted to selling her own child.
“I gave them my own son Jessica, Segun, and Ojo. I sold my one-year-old baby for ₦500,000. When they carried out the test on him, the woman said the child is AS, and they couldn’t use him because of his genotype. I don’t know the amount they eventually negotiated.”
The Ondo State Security Network Agency has vowed to completely dismantle the syndicate, which it believes is connected to a broader network responsible for several other abductions across the country.
Eriseun Omolewo, the father of the rescued boy, expressed profound gratitude to the state government and Amotekun for their efforts.
According to him: “We have been looking for my son since last Tuesday. We came to meet the government to help us in the search for my son.
“Today, to the glory of God, they called me that he has been found. I really appreciate the government of Lucky Aiyedatiwa for the great effort in ensuring my son was brought back. I also thank the men of the Ondo State Security Network Agency, Amotekun,” he added.
