Operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps have uncovered a suspected baby factory in the Badagry area of Lagos State, rescuing 28 victims and arresting two suspects during an overnight operation.
The raid, carried out at Okuju, Ilado, Road 1, Zone 1 in Olorunda, followed weeks of intelligence gathering and surveillance by officers of the Lagos State Command.
The State Commandant, Adedotun Keshinro, told journalists on Friday that the operation was executed between April 15 and 16 after a three-week monitoring exercise.
According to the Command, the suspects allegedly operated a network that lured pregnant women through a Facebook account, offering payments ranging between N500,000 and N1,000,000 in exchange for their babies after delivery.
A total of 28 victims were rescued from the facility, including 17 heavily pregnant women, one adult male, and 10 children, including infants.
Preliminary findings indicated that one of the victims lost her pregnancy due to poor living conditions at the facility, which authorities described as unsafe and exploitative.
Items recovered from the scene included a pumping machine, generator, gas cylinders, mobile phones, cooking utensils, mats and food supplies.
Keshinro condemned the operation of such facilities, describing it as “dastardly, inhumane and barbaric act often perpetrated by some desperate members of the society in the guise of chasing money through any crooked means.”
He disclosed that both the suspects and victims have been handed over to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons for further investigation and necessary action.
The commandant assured that those responsible would be prosecuted, reiterating the agency’s commitment to tackling human trafficking and related crimes across the state.