The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), in collaboration with the Rivers State Ministry of Health, has sealed a residential apartment in Port Harcourt suspected of being operated as an illegal maternity facility by a child-trafficking syndicate.
The operation is part of NAPTIP’s nationwide clampdown on suspected fraudulent maternity and healthcare facilities allegedly operating as “baby factories” across the country.
The development was contained in a statement issued by the Head of the Press and Public Relations Unit of NAPTIP in Abuja, Mr Vincent Adekoye.
The joint operation, which followed actionable intelligence on a criminal network allegedly involved in the procurement, sale and unlawful transfer of children, led to the arrest of the owner of the facility, an alleged facilitator of the child-sale operation and another member of staff.
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The suspected facility is located in the Elelenwo area of Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.
NAPTIP said preliminary investigations indicated that a Liberian national residing in Belgium arrived in Nigeria with no evidence of pregnancy but allegedly took custody of three children within approximately one month, under circumstances that have raised serious concerns.
According to the Agency, intelligence available to investigators suggests that about ₦13.5 million changed hands in connection with the alleged transfer of the three children.
Acting on the intelligence, NAPTIP operatives from Abuja and Rivers State, alongside officials of the Rivers State Ministry of Health, conducted a coordinated operation at the facility and sealed the premises to preserve potential evidence and safeguard the scene pending further investigation.
Legal Parentage
Investigators are conducting forensic and documentary inquiries to establish the identities, whereabouts and welfare of the children, as well as determine their biological and legal parentage.
The investigation will also seek to identify all persons allegedly involved in the procurement and transfer of the children and trace the financial transactions connected to the case.
NAPTIP said it is also examining the possible involvement of medical personnel and other individuals who may have facilitated the suspected criminal activities.
The Director-General of NAPTIP, Binta Adamu Bello, expressed concern over the alleged activities of some maternity and healthcare centres, particularly their suspected involvement in illegal adoption, child sale and trafficking.
She said the alleged involvement of foreign nationals in the procurement of children from Nigeria was “sad and totally unacceptable.”
“We have spread our dragnet to fish out all those involved in this case, and they shall be made to face the full wrath of the law,” she said.
Bello reaffirmed that the investigation remains ongoing and that anyone found culpable would be subjected to due process under the law.
She said that the Agency would ensure that anyone found responsible is brought to justice, while the safety and welfare of the affected children remain its foremost priority.
The NAPTIP Director-General urged members of the public to remain vigilant and report suspected cases of child trafficking, illegal adoption, baby-selling and other forms of exploitation to the Agency through its nearest zonal or state command.
