Rita Enemuru, Reporting
WARRI – A two-year-old child who was allegedly abducted and concealed inside a sack bag has been rescued by police operatives in Warri, Delta State, just moments before the suspect could be set upon by an angry mob.
The Delta State Police Command confirmed on Wednesday that the Quick Response Squad (QRS) intervened at Igbudu Market on 10 May 2026 at approximately 9:15a.m, after vigilant residents intercepted a 29-year-old woman carrying the child in a suspicious manner.
The suspect, Fejiro Obaduemu of Idesor Street, Isi Layout, Warri, was said to have been spotted with the toddler hidden inside the sack, prompting immediate suspicions of child stealing. As onlookers began to gather and the mood turned violent, officers from the QRS arrived at the scene, rescuing both the suspect and the child from what could have been a fatal lynching.
Obaduemu sustained injuries during the mob attack and was taken to the Police Clinic in Warri for medical treatment before being placed under formal arrest.
Child reunited with parents
Further inquiries carried out the following day led detectives to the child’s parents, and the toddler was formally reunited with the family in the presence of leaders of the Hausa community in Warri.
Police spokesperson SP Bright Edafe, ANIPR, FCIA, FIPMD, said in a statement that preliminary investigations revealed the suspect had allegedly confessed to being sent by an unidentified accomplice to steal the child.
“Efforts are ongoing to arrest the said accomplice and unravel the wider network connected to the crime,” the statement read.
Command vows to dismantle trafficking networks
The Commissioner of Police for Delta State, CP Yemi Oyeniyi, psc, acipm, mnips, assured residents that the command was doubling down on its efforts against child trafficking and related offences.
“The Command remains committed to protecting children and combating all forms of human trafficking and related crimes,” CP Oyeniyi said.
He urged members of the public to remain vigilant and to report any suspicious activity involving children to the nearest police station or via the command’s emergency line: 08036684974.
The command confirmed that comprehensive investigations were already under way to dismantle criminal networks involved in child stealing and illegal child trafficking across Warri, Effurun and the wider Delta region.
