The Ekiti State Police Command has arrested 17 suspects for cattle rustling and recovered a total of 558 cattle across different operations in the state.
Gatekeepers News reports that the police also disclosed that five suspects were arrested for allegedly operating an illegal baby factory and engaging in child exploitation along Ise Road in the Ikere-Ekiti area of the state.
The Commissioner of Police, Mr Joseph Eribo, disclosed this on Tuesday in Ado-Ekiti, stating that on January 21, 2026, operatives of the Command arrested one Ibrahim Abubakar, described as a notorious cattle rustler and kidnapper, following a credible tip-off.
According to Eribo, investigations revealed that Abubakar had been involved in cattle rustling for years.
“During investigation, Ibrahim Abubakar confessed that he is into cattle rustling business, and equally mentioned different occasions in the past where he attacked cattle owners and made away with their cattle,” the police commissioner said.
He added that 255 rustled cattle were recovered from the suspect.
“A large number of rustled cattle numbering two hundred and fifty-five (255) were recovered from him. He will be further investigated and charged in court,” Eribo said.
The police commissioner further disclosed that investigations showed that Abubakar had rustled cattle across Ekiti, Kwara and Kogi states over the years and had been on the wanted list of the three states.
On the same day, the police arrested 16 other suspected cattle rustlers, identified as Dauda Abdulrahman, Sanusi Abdullahi, Abdulmumini Abdullahi, Ibrahim Adamu, Aladu, Umaru Bala, Idris Abdullahi, Umaru Dairu, Adamu Abubakar, Salisu Abdullahi, Idris Abdullahi, Yahuza Abdulrahman, Abdullahi Salisu, Samaila Abdullahi, Ibrahim Abdullahi and Sanni Muhammadu.
Eribo said that 303 cattle suspected to have been rustled were recovered from the suspects at the time of their arrest.
He noted that the suspects were unable to give a satisfactory account of how they came into possession of the cattle.
In a separate operation, the police said they arrested five suspects for allegedly operating an illegal baby factory on January 24, 2026, following credible intelligence.
According to the police, one Oluwadare Onyechi, a 43-year-old woman, allegedly ran the illegal operation alongside four other suspects at a location behind Inisa Hotel and Suites, along Ise-Ekiti Road in Ikere-Ekiti.
“Upon the receipt of the information, the Command Operatives swung into action, cordoned off the premises used for the illegal business, and arrested Oluwadare Onyechi and four other accomplices,” the police said.
The other suspects were identified as Onuoha Gloria (28), Victoria Linus (25), Ihegbogu Mercy (21) and Emmanuel Esther (23), who was described as heavily pregnant.
The police said a search of the premises led to the rescue of six children aged between two and nine years, who were suspected to be victims of bondage and exploitation.
“Items such as baby delivery materials, some rolls of dexamethasone tablets, and some bottles of Goya oil were recovered from the scene,” the police added.
The command said investigations into the cases were ongoing, while the suspects would be charged to court upon conclusion of investigations.
