Operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Lagos State Command, have uncovered an alleged baby factory in Okuju, Ilado, in the Badagry area of Lagos.
The operation, carried out late Wednesday into the early hours of Thursday, led to the rescue of 18 pregnant women and 10 children. Authorities also arrested two suspected operators of the facility, Joy Okeke and Raphael Agwu.
According to preliminary findings, the victims were reportedly lured to the facility through offers advertised on Facebook.
Investigators allege that after delivery, the women’s babies were sold, with the mothers receiving payments ranging from ₦500,000 to ₦1.8 million.
The victims, between the ages of 18 and 30, were paraded at the NSCDC office, Badagry division, Ibereko, on Friday.
Some of the pregnant women had come to the centre with children and infants also up for sale to willing buyers.
At the parade, Commandant, Lagos State, NSCDC, Adedotun Keshinro, said its operatives swooped on the big flat containing many rooms that house the victims following actionable intelligence that lasted three weeks.
Keshinro said, “They are operating a baby factory where victims are made pregnant. When the babies are delivered, they are sold.
“The suspects entice the victims who are pregnant to come and negotiate with them that when they deliver the babies, the babies will be taken from them and they’ll be paid off.
“When they deliver the babies, the babies will be taken from them to be sold to their customers, and the victims will be paid off.”
One of the 18 victims rescued was said to have suffered a miscarriage.
“There are 18 victims who are fully pregnant, but one of them had a miscarriage. So, 17 of them are currently carrying pregnancies. And there are other babies there who are grown, and they are also here on negotiation to be sold to interested buyers,” Keshinro added.
Noting that the operators of the facility had committed a “grievous crime against humanity,” the NSCDC Commandant said they would be handed over to the police for prosecution, while the victims would be handed over to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons.
Among items retrieved at the facility were a pumping machine, generator set, standing fans, gas cylinders, burner, cooking pots, phones, mats, toiletries, baby skincare products, tableware and assorted food items.
On what becomes of the Badagry facility, Keshinro said, “We will hand over the place to the state government. The state government may decide to demolish the place so that they will not be able to continue to use it for that activity.”
Answering questions from journalists, Okeke, the chief operator of the facility, said she arrived at the Badagry location in January from Ikorodu, in search of a bigger apartment.
Okeke said she adopted children for those who do not have any.
She said, “We are adopting children to give to those who don’t have children. I have been doing this for some months. I moved here from Ikorodu in search of a bigger apartment. We were in Ikorodu before. We are two operating this place.”
She declined to state how much she sells a child or how they get to the facility, saying, “I can talk further when my lawyer is here. I don’t want to talk anymore.
“If you are interrogating me, my lawyer should be present.”
Speaking with Saturday PUNCH, some of the victims said they subscribed to the centre after negotiating online with the operator that they would surrender their baby upon delivery and be paid.
One of the women said the agreement reached was that she would be paid the sum of N1m, while another said she was promised N1.8m.
One, named Joy, said she opted for the facility because she got pregnant with an “irresponsible man.”
She said she previously had two children who were being cared for by her mum in the village.
The ladies claimed that they were well-fed daily, were allowed to use their phones, and could request medical attention if feeling unwell, except that they were not allowed to leave the facility at will.
One of the women further stated that part of the agreement was that they could leave the centre before delivery, but would not receive a dime.
According to Raphael Agwu, who was arrested alongside the operator of the facility, the ladies come in pregnant and sign an agreement to deliver their babies and have them sold while they are paid off.
Agwu said he believed the centre offered an alternative to women considering aborting their pregnancies and helped childless couples.
He said, “There are agents on an online group who propose that instead of aborting it, you can come to us, and we will take care of you. And when you deliver the child, we’ll take the baby for ourselves.
“There are groups for adoption, abortion and unwanted pregnancies on Facebook. They are open groups. These people post that they want to give up their child for adoption, and negotiation begins.
“They were already pregnant on their own and decided to give birth for adoption. So, in order for us to be safe, because of that agreement, they gave their consent and everything.”
Agwu, who claimed he works as a housekeeper, said the women are enticed to the facility because of the promise of a compensation payment of at least N1 million for the sale of their child at delivery.
“They came on their own. Some of them were referred to us by agents. Most of them came with their children. All those children you saw are people who came with their kids.
“Some childless couples come to us seeking to adopt children. I didn’t see it as a big crime because my thinking is they are helping some childless couples,” he said.
