Operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Lagos State Command, have busted a baby factory in Okuju, Ilado, Badagry area of Lagos.
The operatives stormed the facility in the early hours of Wednesday, April 29 and rescued 18 pregnant women and 10 children, and arrested the operators of the facility identified as Joy Okeke and Raphael Agwu.
The victims aged between 18 and 30 were recruited through a facebook platform where they are promised N500, 000 to N1.8m in exchange of their babies upon delivery.
Parading the victims and the suspects before newsmen, the 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.
“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.
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
The NSCDC boss said the suspects 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.