Hot SourceFidelis David in Akure
The family of Ifeoma Jesinta, a five-year-old girl kidnapped in Akure, Ondo State, trafficked to Onitsha in Anambra State and subsequently sold in Asaba, Delta State, for N3.7million has accused the Ondo State Police Command of compromising the investigation and shielding the culprits.
The family, through their lawyer, Tope Temokun at a press conference in Akure yesterday explained that in a shocking and unlawful twist, the biological parents of the little child, Mrs. Nneka Onah and Mr. Ifeanyi Onah, who are victims seeking justice, have been detained in the police cell, apparently to intimidate and silence them.
Particularly, the lawyer said the omission of Mrs. Happiness Sunday, (CEO of a popular restaurant in Akure) in connection with the crime, as the last person in whose custody the child was seen before disappearance, further confirms deliberate suppression of facts by the police.
According to the family’s solicitors, the police in statement on the matter, dated September 25, 2025, was a “deliberate distortion of facts and a cover-up,” alleging that the police omitted crucial facts, suppressed significant leads, and misrepresented the timeline of events.
He said: “From credible facts before us, the suspects have been arrested in Asaba and Onitsha in connection with the crime and have been transmitted to Akure, with the child. One of the suspects confessed to directly receiving the child from Akure and gave further leads on the chain of trafficking in the state.
“Instead of following up on these vital leads to unravel the criminal syndicate and bring all perpetrators to justice, the Commissioner of Police in Ondo State has chosen a dangerous path of compromise, as betrayed in the police press statement dated September 25, 2025 (Ref. No. AZ:5280/ONS/PPRO/VOL.1/298), which is nothing less than a cover-up.
“This is unacceptable. We condemn in the strongest terms this brazen attempt to shield the real culprits while oppressing the victims. The conduct of the Commissioner of Police is not only an abuse of office but also a betrayal of the sacred duty of the police to protect lives, ensure justice, and uphold the rule of law.
“At the time of writing, Mrs. Nneka Onah, mother of the missing child, and Mr. Ifeanyi Onah, stepfather of the child, are held in unlawful custody, while there appears to be deliberate suppression of facts and obstruction of investigation by the Ondo State Police Command. This conduct is injurious not only to our clients but to the integrity of the justice system itself.”
He claimed that the police position falsely represents the identity and parentage of the missing child, saying: “The child, Ifeoma Jesinta, is not the child of Sunday Kingsley and Sunday Happiness, but the biological daughter of Mrs. Nneka Onah and stepdaughter of Mr. Ifeanyi Onah.”
He said the distortion was not a mere oversight but consistent with a broader pattern of deliberate suppression and alteration of critical facts which constitutes a grave breach of public trust and confidence in conducting transparent investigations.
“This is a case of child-trafficking, which is a grave crime under the Nigerian law. We believe victims cannot lawfully be turned into accused persons or suspects, especially when there is already direct evidence linking known and traceable persons. The compromise of this case not only threatens justice for the child and her family but also emboldens traffickers and endangers other children,” he stated.
The family’s solicitor said he has sent petitions to various authorities, including the Inspector-General of Police, the chairman of the Police Service Commission, and the Director-General of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), demanding an immediate and unconditional release of the parents, a thorough investigation, and the prompt arraignment of all culprits in court.
