A human rights lawyer, Tope Temokun, has petitioned the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, over the handling of the kidnapping and trafficking of a five-year-old girl in Akure, the Ondo State capital.
In the petition, Temokun also copied the Chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC), Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, and the Director-General of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP).
The lawyer accused the Ondo State Police Command of attempting to undermine the investigation into the case. According to him, the child was abducted a few months ago, trafficked from Akure to Onitsha, Anambra State, and later sold in Asaba, Delta State, for N4.05 million.
Temokun alleged that the police had been shielding the main suspect, a popular restaurant owner in Akure, who was reportedly the last person seen with the child before her disappearance.
The petition followed a statement by the Ondo State Police Command that one Sunday Kingsley of Alagbaka Extension, Akure, had reported the girl missing, leading to a case being filed before the Family Magistrate Court and the subsequent remand of the child’s mother at the Ondo Correctional Centre.
Temokun criticised the police statement, issued on September 25, 2025, with reference number AZ:5280/ONS/PPRO/VOL.1/298, describing it as a “deliberate distortion of facts.” He alleged that it misrepresented the sequence of events, omitted crucial details, and suppressed key investigative leads, including the names of individuals already identified as suspects.
“This deliberate misrepresentation erases the true complainants from the narrative, thereby concealing critical leads in the investigation,” Temokun stated. “The omission of Mrs Happiness Sunday, in whose custody the child was last seen, and Vivian Ngozi, identified as a principal accessory, further confirms the deliberate suppression of facts by the Ondo State Police Command.”
The lawyer urged the IGP, the Ondo State Government, and the public to intervene to ensure justice for the victim and her family. He also demanded the immediate and unconditional release of the child’s parents, a thorough and transparent investigation into the trafficking network, and the prompt prosecution of all suspects.
When contacted, the spokesperson for the Ondo State Police Command, Ayanlade Olayinka, confirmed that the case was reported by the child’s stepfather and that detectives had rescued her in Asaba after tracking the suspects.
“It is not a case of abduction. It’s a case of human trafficking and stealing,” Olayinka said. “The investigation is transparent enough, and the records are there. Anyone can access them in writing. People should appreciate the police’s efforts.”
