OPERATIVES of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Lagos State Command, have uncovered an illegal baby factory in the Okuju area of Ilado, Badagry, Lagos.
The State Commandant, Adedotun Keshinro, disclosed this on Friday while victims aged between 18 and 30 were presented at the NSCDC office in Ibereko, Badagry. He noted that during an operation conducted from Wednesday night into the early hours of Thursday, officers rescued 18 pregnant women and 10 children, as two suspected operators of the facility, Joy Okeke and Raphael Agwu, were also arrested.
“Operatives swooped on the big flat containing many rooms that house the victims following actionable intelligence that lasted three weeks. Some of the pregnant women had come to the centre with children and infants for sale to willing buyers,” Keshinro said.
The victims were reportedly lured to the facility through an offer advertised on Facebook.
After giving birth, the women’s babies were sold, with the mothers receiving payments ranging from N500,000 to N1.8 million.
“The suspects entice the victims who are pregnant to come and negotiate with them that when they deliver the babies, they will be taken from them and they’ll be paid off. The babies will then be taken from them to be sold to their customers, and the victims will be paid off.
“There are 18 victims who are fully pregnant, but one of them had a miscarriage. So, 17 of them are currently carrying pregnancies. There are other babies there who are grown, and they are also here on negotiation to be sold to interested buyers,” Keshinro added.
Describing the situation as a “grievous crime against humanity,” the NSCDC Commandant said the suspects would be handed over to the police for prosecution, while the victims would be transferred to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons for care and rehabilitation.
Items recovered from the facility included a pumping machine, generator, standing fans, gas cylinders, a burner, cooking pots, mobile phones, mats, toiletries, baby skincare products, tableware, and assorted food items.
“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,” he said.
Okeke, the alleged operator of the facility, said she relocated to the Badagry site from Ikorodu in January in search of a larger apartment.
She claimed her role was to help secure children for individuals who were unable to have any.
“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 said.
She refused to disclose how much the children were sold for or how they were brought to the facility, stating, “I can speak further when my lawyer is present. I don’t want to say anything more. If you are interrogating me, my lawyer should be present.”
Some of the victims said they were drawn to the centre after negotiating online with the operator, agreeing to hand over their babies after delivery in exchange for payment.
One of the women said she was to receive N1 million under the arrangement, while another claimed she had been promised N1.8 million.
Another victim identified as Joy said she chose the facility after becoming pregnant by what she described as an “irresponsible man,” noting that she has two children who were being cared for by her mum in the village.
The women said they were provided with regular meals, allowed to use their phones, and could request medical care when needed, but were not free to leave the facility at will.
One of them added that while they were permitted to leave before giving birth, doing so meant forfeiting any payment.
According to Raphael Agwu, who was arrested alongside the facility’s operator, the women arrived already pregnant and entered into agreements to deliver their babies, after which the children would be sold and the mothers paid.
Agwu claimed the centre provided an alternative for women considering terminating their pregnancies and also assisted couples who were unable to have children.
“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,” he said.
Agwu, who described himself as a housekeeper, said the women were drawn to the facility by the promise of compensation of at least N1 million after giving birth and handing over their babies.
“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.
Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues. She has documented sexual war crimes in armed conflict, sex for grades in Nigerian Universities, harmful traditional practices and human trafficking.