In the Okuju neighborhood of Ilado, Badagry, Lagos, agents of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC), Lagos State Command, have discovered an illicit baby factory. This was revealed on Friday while victims between the ages of 18 and 30 were brought to the NSCDC office in Ibereko, Badagry, by State Commandant Adedotun Keshinro. He stated that two suspected facility operators, Joy Okeke and Raphael Agwu, were also taken into custody during an operation that took place from Wednesday night into the early hours of Thursday and resulted in the rescue of 18 pregnant women and 10 toddlers.
According to reports, an offer posted on Facebook was used to entice the victims to the facility. The ladies were paid between N500,000 and N1.8 million when their infants were sold after they gave birth.
“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.
The NSCDC Commandant described the scenario as a "grievous crime against humanity" and stated that the victims would be sent to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons for care and rehabilitation, while the suspects would be turned over to the police for prosecution.
A pumping machine, generator, standing fans, gas cylinders, a burner, cooking pots, cell phones, mats, toiletries, infant skincare goods, dinnerware, and various food items were among the items retrieved from the facility.
“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.