NSCDC UNCOVERS LAGOS BABY FACTORY, RESCUES 18 PREGNANT WOMEN, 10 CHILDREN
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By: Muftau Fatimo
Operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Lagos State Command, have uncovered a baby factory in Okuju, Ilado, in the Badagry area of Lagos State.
During an operation conducted on Wednesday night into the early hours of Thursday, the officers rescued 18 pregnant women and 10 children, while also arresting the operators of the facility, identified as Joy Okeke and Raphael Agwu.
Investigations revealed that the victims were allegedly recruited through an advertisement on Facebook. It was further gathered that after delivery, the babies were reportedly sold, with the women receiving between N500,000 and N1.8 million per child.
The victims, aged between 18 and 30, were paraded on Friday at the NSCDC office in the Badagry Division, Ibereko.
It was gathered that some of the pregnant women arrived at the facility with children and infants, who were also reportedly being offered for sale to prospective buyers.
During the parade, the Lagos State Commandant of the NSCDC, Adedotun Keshinro, said operatives raided the large building with multiple rooms where the victims were being kept, following three weeks of actionable intelligence.
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 stated, “We are adopting children and giving them to people who do not have children. I have been doing this for some months. I relocated from Ikorodu in search of a bigger apartment. We were previously in Ikorodu. Two of us run this place.”
She, however, declined to disclose the amount charged per child or how the victims were brought to the facility, saying, “I can only speak further when my lawyer is present. I don’t want to say anything more. If I am to be interrogated, my lawyer must be present.”
Meanwhile, speaking with the media, some of the victims said they were recruited after negotiating online with the operators, with an agreement that they would surrender their babies after delivery in exchange for payment.
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 in online groups who suggest that instead of aborting a pregnancy, you can come to us and we will support you. When you give birth, we take the baby.”
He added that there are Facebook groups dedicated to adoption, abortion, and unwanted pregnancies, describing them as open platforms where people post about giving up their babies for adoption, after which negotiations begin.
“They were already pregnant and chose to carry the pregnancy to term for adoption. So, based on that understanding, they gave their consent,” he said.
Agwu, who claimed to work as a housekeeper, further stated that the women are attracted to the facility by the promise of compensation of at least N1 million upon the sale of their babies at delivery.
“They came on their own, and some were referred by agents. Many arrived with their children. Those children you saw were brought in by them,” he said.
He also noted that some childless couples approach the facility seeking to adopt children, adding, “I did not see it as a serious offence because, in my view, they are helping childless couples.”
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