‘I Made Millions From Child Trafficking,’ Suspect Tells Police As Details Of Suspected Network Emerge

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LAGOS – A private driver accused of involvement in a child trafficking operation has allegedly confessed to earning millions of naira from multiple transactions involving missing children.

The suspect, identified as Sun­day Onome, is currently in police custody in Anambra State along­side his girlfriend and son follow­ing an intelligence-led operation that tracked the movement of victims to Onitsha.

According to the Police, the sus­pect provided a detailed statement describing how financial hardship allegedly pushed him into a crim­inal network that facilitated the movement of children across dif­ferent locations. His account, now being verified by detectives, has opened fresh lines of inquiry into what authorities believe may be a wider syndicate operating across state lines.

According to his statement to investigators, Onome’s descent into the alleged operation began after he lost his job as a private driver. He reportedly said the loss of stable income left him vulner­able to new contacts who later in­troduced him to a system involv­ing the movement of children for payment. What initially appeared to him as a survival option, he claimed, soon developed into a structured arrangement with re­peated assignments.

He alleged that his first involve­ment came through the transfer of a child known to him through personal acquaintance networks. The suspect admitted that the fa­miliarity between the child and his family circle made the movement easier to execute without raising immediate suspicion. For that single operation, he claimed he re­ceived ₦1.3 million, describing it as a turning point that encouraged further participation.

The suspect further told inves­tigators that a second assignment followed shortly after, this time in­volving two children. He alleged that he received about ₦2.3 million after completing the movement, bringing his total earnings from the operations to about ₦3.6 mil­lion. Authorities say these claims remain under verification as part of a broader effort to map out the alleged network.

Onome’s statement also showed that communication within the operation was largely remote. He allegedly claimed that instructions were passed through phone calls and messaging platforms, while payments were made electroni­cally after each assignment was completed.

According to him, direct physi­cal contact with higher-level coor­dinators was minimal, a structure he said was designed to reduce exposure.

A significant twist in the con­fession involves the suspect’s girl­friend, who he claimed became involved after their relationship began during the period of his al­leged participation in the network.

He told the Police investigators that she gradually became part of the coordination process, helping to relay messages and manage lo­gistics connected to the movement of children.

He also made a startling ad­mission regarding his son, alleg­ing that the child was drawn into assisting with certain movements during assignments. The source say this aspect of the confession is particularly concerning and will form a critical part of their ongo­ing inquiry into the extent of the suspect’s activities and possible exploitation within the operation.

The final incident that led to the arrest reportedly occurred in Onit­sha, where the suspect said he trav­elled with two children awaiting further instructions from contacts who were expected to receive them.

He claimed he lodged in a hotel whilewaitingforahandoverarrange­ment that had been delayed, during which he allegedly received funds for accommodationandupkeep.

However, law enforcement of­ficers tracking the movement of the children reportedly closed in before any transfer could be com­pleted. The arrest of the suspects brought an abrupt end to what in­vestigators believe may have been one of several coordinated move­ments linked to the same network.

Police sources say efforts are ongoing to verify the suspect’s claims and identify other individ­uals mentioned in his statement. Detectives are also reviewing communication records, finan­cial transactions, and travel move­ments in an attempt to establish the full scope of the alleged opera­tion and determine whether addi­tional victims are involved.