Operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Lagos State Command, have uncovered a suspected baby factory in Okuju, Ilado, in the Badagry area of Lagos.
During the operation, which took place late Wednesday night into the early hours of Thursday, officers rescued 18 pregnant women and 10 children.
Two individuals, Joy Okeke and Raphael Agwu, believed to be operators of the facility, were arrested.
Preliminary findings revealed that the victims were lured to the centre through offers advertised on Facebook.
The arrangement allegedly involved pregnant women agreeing to give up their babies after delivery in exchange for payments ranging from N500,000 to N1.8 million.
The victims, aged between 18 and 30, were presented at the NSCDC office in Ibereko, Badagry Division, on Friday. Some of the women reportedly arrived at the facility with young children and infants who were also intended for sale.
Speaking at the briefing, the Lagos State NSCDC Commandant, Adedotun Keshinro, said the operation was carried out following three weeks of intelligence gathering. He explained that the building, a large flat with multiple rooms, was used to house the victims.
According to Keshinro, the suspects ran an illegal operation where women were either made pregnant or recruited while already pregnant, with the intention of selling the babies after birth.
“They lure pregnant women with promises of payment after delivery. Once the babies are born, they are taken from the mothers and sold to buyers,” he said.
Among the rescued victims, one woman was reported to have suffered a miscarriage, leaving 17 others still carrying pregnancies. Authorities also confirmed the presence of older babies at the facility, who were allegedly being prepared for sale.
Describing the operation as a “grievous crime against humanity,” Keshinro stated that 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 (NAPTIP) for care and support.
Items recovered from the premises included a pumping machine, generator, standing fans, gas cylinders, burner, cooking utensils, mobile phones, mats, toiletries, baby care products, tableware, and various food items.
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 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.”
She declined to state how much she sells a child or how they get to the facility, saying, “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.”
Speaking with PUNCH, some of the victims said they subscribed to the centre after negotiating online with the operator that they would surrender their baby upon delivery and be paid.
One of the women said the agreement reached was that she would be paid the sum of N1million, while another said she was promised N1.8million.
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.
