By Damilare Adeleye
Operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Lagos State Command, have uncovered a suspected baby factory in the Okuju area of Ilado, Badagry, rescuing 18 pregnant women and 10 children during a coordinated raid.
The operation, carried out on Wednesday night into the early hours of Thursday, led to the arrest of two suspected operators of the facility, identified as Joy Okeke and Raphael Agwu.
According to findings, the victims were lured to the centre through offers advertised on Facebook, where they allegedly entered into agreements to surrender their babies after delivery in exchange for monetary compensation ranging from N500,000 to N1.8 million.
The victims, aged between 18 and 30, were paraded at the NSCDC Badagry Divisional Office in Ibereko on Friday. Some of the women were found to have arrived at the facility with their existing children, who were also reportedly being negotiated for sale.
Addressing journalists, the Lagos State Commandant of the NSCDC, Adedotun Keshinro, said the raid followed three weeks of intelligence gathering, culminating in the discovery of a multi-room building housing the victims.
Keshinro said, “They are operating a baby factory where victims are made pregnant. When the babies are delivered, they are sold.
“The suspects entice pregnant victims to come and negotiate with them that when they deliver the babies, the babies will be taken from them, and they will be paid off.
“When they deliver the babies, the babies are taken from them to be sold to customers, and the victims are paid off.”
He disclosed that while 18 pregnant women were initially rescued, one of them had 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,” he added.
Describing the operation as the exposure of a “grievous crime against humanity,” the 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 rehabilitation and further care.
Items recovered from the facility included a pumping machine, generator set, standing fans, gas cylinders, burners, cooking pots, mobile phones, mats, toiletries, baby skincare products, tableware, and assorted food items.
On the fate of the property, 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.”
Responding to questions from journalists, Okeke, alleged to be the principal operator, claimed she was involved in arranging adoptions for childless couples. She said she relocated to the Badagry residence from Ikorodu in January in search of a larger apartment.
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.”
Okeke, however, declined to disclose details about pricing or client sourcing, stating, “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.”
Some of the rescued women told journalists that they voluntarily joined the scheme after negotiating online, agreeing to hand over their babies after delivery in exchange for payment.