After several months of intelligence gathering and discreet surveillance, the Ondo State Command of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has discovered a baby factory syndicate operating at Ilutitun in Okitipupa Local Government Area of the state.
This came just as soldiers, numbering over 20, allegedly stormed the General Hospital, Ore, in Odigbo Local Government Area of the state Wednesday afternoon and beat up all the staff sighted at the hospital premises, including doctors, nurses and other medical staff.
Meanwhile, no fewer than 24 suspects, including five pregnant women, five nursing mothers, five babies and eight men, who impregnated the women, were Wednesday arrested by the anti-trafficking detectives of NIS, led by Obisesan Abiola.
Parading the suspects at the command headquarters, Alagbaka area in Akure, the state capital, comptroller of the service, Musa Al-Hassan, said the suspects were arrested following a tip-off and the efforts of combined operatives of his officers and military men after the suspects had earlier resisted arrest.
Al-Hassan explained that the baby factory syndicate allegedly operated at a well-secured two-bedroom flat apartment in the town, where the house owner, an alleged principal suspect, identified as Happiness Ogundeji (alias Mama Porta), claimed was a natural healing home. He added that young girls, between the ages of 20 and 25, were recruited into the home, where some young men equally ‘serviced’ them.
According to him, the NIS headquarters in Abuja was informed about the syndicate activities following a tip-off from Cross River State Command of the service and subsequently directed the Ondo State command and its Imo State counter-part to swing into action in apprehending the syndicate.
“A circular emanating from the headquarters informed us that an operator of a baby factory in Imo State has relocated to somewhere in Ondo State.
“We swung into action and our investigations led us to Ilu-tuntun, where we arrested these people.
“Our investigations also revealed that the operator, who was said to be in connivance with a Cameroonian, has another such factory in Ore, Odigbo Local Government Area of Ondo State,” the comptroller explained. -
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