A mild drama ensued yesterday between journalists and some members of the bar at the resumed sitting and hearing of the ten suspects arraigned in court for the illegal operation of a baby factory at Ilu-titun in Okitipupa Local Government area of Ondo State.
At the premises of the Federal High Court sitting in Akure, venue of the sitting, journalists were barred by a private lawyer believed to be one of the counsels to the accused persons from carrying out their constitutional duties by filming and recording the suspects immediately after the proceedings outside the court.
It was a hot argument between the journalists mostly of Lagos base Television and Radio Station including independent Newspapers and Magazines who had besieged the court to report the running story as the lawyer threatened to smash their cameras and other recording gadgets.
It took the timely intervention of Staff members of the court and other lawyers who saved the innocent journalists from further been harassed.
At the hearing yesterday, a counsel to the Ten accused suspects, barrister Dapo Agbede prayed that the court should grants his clients bail on the account that they were innocent of the charges leveled against them.
The Ten suspects including the king-pin and suspected owner of the illegal baby factory, Mrs Happiness Ogundeji (45 year Old) had pleaded not guilty to the ten count charges read before them by the clerk of the court.
In his Ruling, the presiding judge, justice Isaq Sani turned down the bail application of the counsel to the accused and ordered him to make the oral application 'formal' by writing to the effect.
Justices Sani however adjourned the case till Monday February 24th.
Speaking to journalists shortly after the proceedings, counsel to the ten suspects, Barr. Dapo Agbede, informed that his clients would apply for bail in the next sitting.
The ten suspects were arraigned on a ten count charge bothering on illegal operation of baby factory and accused of adoption of under aged children.
Those nabbed by the anti-trafficking detectives of the command included five pregnant women, five nursing mothers, five babies, two of which are less than a month old and eight men whose duty it was to impregnate the women.
On the 29th of January 2014, the anti-human trafficking unit of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), Ondo State Command through a tip-off from its headquarters in Abuja discovered a baby factory at Ilu-titun in Okitipupa Local Government area of Ondo State and arrested the suspects immediately.
It would be recalled that the king-pin attempted to jump over the fence with a ladder already stationed at the exotic compound where the illegal baby factory is been run while items discovered at the factory were eight luxury cars, foodstuff, baby items, among others.
Officials of the Ondo NIS after parading the suspects at the Alagbaka headquarters of the command in Akure in front journalists, handed them over to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic in Persons and other related matters (NAPTIP) who later dragged the suspects to court.
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