The Osun State Command of the National Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has launched an investigation into the abduction of a five-month-old baby from a farm in Agbeye town.
According to security officials, the infant was left under a tree while the mother gathered firewood nearby. Upon returning to breastfeed her child, she discovered the baby was missing.
The NSCDC has expressed alarm over a spike in cases of missing children in the state, reporting three separate incidents involving minors from August 2 to 27 alone. Dr. Michael Adaralewa, the head of the Osun NSCDC, shared details through the Command’s Public Relations Officer, Kehinde Adeleke. Notably, the parents of the missing child in Agbeye are both deaf and mute.
The statement also referenced a previous case from August 2, in which a one-year-old boy was kidnapped in the Osunjela community. Investigations revealed that a woman named Tawa, introduced to the baby’s mother by a family friend, had taken the child. On her first day of work, Tawa carried the baby while pretending to play, then left with the child’s 10-year-old sister on an errand, ultimately abducting the infant.
In another troubling incident on the same day, a three-year-old child was reported missing on Ifesowapo Street in Owode, Osogbo. The child was last seen playing in a shop, and efforts to locate him have been unsuccessful.
The recent abduction of the five-month-old girl occurred on August 27, 2024, while her mother was collecting firewood. The child was placed in the shade for safety, but when the mother returned, the baby had vanished.
The NSCDC has assured the public that they are diligently working to apprehend those responsible for these crimes. Dr. Adaralewa urged employers and artisans to conduct thorough background checks on potential hires and encouraged parents to remain vigilant about their children’s safety, especially during the holiday season.
