NIGERIA: The Ogun State Police Command has uncovered a ‘baby-making factory’ in Akute area of Ifo, in Ifo Local Government Area of the state. And eight pregnant teenagers have been rescued from the factory. The proprietor of the factory, Mrs. Angela Chigoeze and her brother-in-law, Obinna Ndunaga, the operators of the ‘factory’ were also arrested by the police in a raid conducted on Thursday. Read story via DAILYINDEPENDENT :
The Commissioner of Police in the State, Ikemefuna Okoye, who on Friday conducted journalists round a bungalow where the suspects were nabbed, disclosed that the suspects sell a baby for N300,000 to their clients.
Okoye said the young girls were usually offered pittance after delivery and their babies taken from them and sold to members of the public.
He attributed the discovery to robust community policing and discreet intelligence gathering by men of the state police command.
He, however, stated that investigation was still ongoing to unravel the sponsors and collaborators of the syndicate which apparently used the building at No. 9 Sebanjo Crescent, off Fabolude Bus Stop in Akute as operational base.
Three of the pregnant women are teenagers. They included 16-year-old Precious Steven as well as Miracle Eze and Blessing Saviour who are both 17 years old.
Others are Jeremiah Gift, 25; Joy Okoro, 20; Stella Samuel, 19; Agnes Igbo, 22 and Vivian Princewill, 20.
Narrating how the baby factory was uncovered the police commissioner explained that men of the Ajuwon Divisional Police Station stormed the scene following a tip-off.
His words: “When we moved in around 7am on Thursday, we couldn’t get anything. So, we left. But later we got information and we came back to the house and continued searching. We discovered that the pregnant girls were hidden in the wardrobe.
“One of the girls kept in the wardrobe fainted and she was taken to the hospital where she was revived. This is inhumanity to human beings. The coordinator (Angela) of this baby factory sold each baby for N300, 000 or even above. She in turn gives pittance to these young girls. If the mother delivers a stillborn, she will not get anything,” the commissioner op police said.
According to the commissioner the suspects would be transferred to the State Police Command Headquarters in Eleweran, Abeokuta for further investigation and interrogation.
Fielding questions from journalists, the proprietor of the ‘baby factory’ claimed that her husband, now at large, rented the building where the illicit business was transacted.
Angela, 29, who hails from Abia State, said she started the business last year as a traditional healing home.
She, however, denied that the young girls were usually impregnated inside the house, saying they (pregnant women) were either brought by their husbands or trace her address themselves.
Also speaking, Obinna who allegedly manned the gates to the house before the police raid said that he was not part of the syndicate. He claimed that his elder brother, who travelled to the eastern part of the country on Monday, accommodated him in the house when he (Obinna) had financial challenges to secure an apartment in Lagos.
Meanwhile, men of Enugu State Police Command have also uncovered child trafficking syndicate that specialises in stealing children and selling them at very exorbitant prices. The breakthrough was made after a combined operation by men of Abakpa Nike and Ezeagu Divisions of Enugu State Police Command.
Three suspected members of the syndicate, all women, were arrested by the police.
Spokesman of Enugu State Police Command, Ebere Amaraizu, confirmed this in a statement on Friday.
Amaraizu gave the names of the suspects as Ezechi Esther Ijeoma, the leader of the syndicate who claimed she hailed from Akabo village in Ikeduru Imo State but lives at Aforoghe Ezeagu Enugu, Okafor Beatrice of Owa Imezi in Ezeagu and Odenigbo Theresa of Oyofo Ezeagu but married to someone at Affa in Udi Local Government Area of the State.
He said they were arrested in connection with the theft of two babies, Success Godwin, who was stolen in Egbeda Lagos and Okechukwu Michael, who was stolen in Ichieahamba village, Umuikea Abia State.
“They were nabbed by the operatives of Ezeagu Division of the Nigeria Police Enugu State over their alleged involvement in the alleged trafficking and selling of five-year old Success Godwin whom Esther Ijeoma allegedly stole from yet to be identified owner at Egbeda, Lagos State on March 13, 2014 in alleged connivance with a yet to be identified member of the syndicate.
“The baby (Success) was scheduled to be sold at the rate of N500,000 to a prospective buyer yet to be nabbed while Okechukwu was scheduled to be sold for N600,000,” Amaraizu said.
The police spokesman disclosed that the babies have been recovered from one of the suspects, Beatrice Okafor.
Amaraizu added that the police have commenced a full scale investigation into the incident.
In another development, the police spokesman said that the operatives of Abakpa Division have arrested one Idika Sunday Emmanuel in possession of some documents suspected to be original West African Examination Council (WAEC) certificates and that he is now helping the police in their investigations.
He said the suspect who hails from Ebonyi State but lives in Umuchigbo Abakpa and claims to be a staff of Republic Comprehensive Secondary School was nabbed following a tip-off which also led to the recovery of those documents believed to be W.A.E.C results allegedly issued to Nike Grammar School and Republic Comprehensive Secondary School since 2011 and 2012 and which he collected since July 2013 and allegedly kept in his house without the knowledge of the schools and for a yet to be known reasons.
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