The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) expressed concern on Monday 20 May 2024, over the recent rise of baby factories around the nation. The agency’s Director-General, Professor Fatima Waziri-Azi, voiced the worry in a statement that was provided to reporters in Abuja.

Waziri-Azi claims that there have been disturbing allegations and public outrage recently about the sale of kids and the establishment of facilities that specialize in kidnapping young girls and finding males to conceive them. After delivery, she claimed that these babies were sold.

The baby factories, according to Waziri-Azi, work covertly, preying on the helplessness and susceptibility of gullible people and frequently enticing them with promises of financial gain or deceptive guarantees of care and assistance. In Umuafai Ndume Ibeku, Umuahia North Local Government Area, Abia State, 10 victims were rescued from a baby factory in Umunkwa village, she added, making it one of the most recent cases.

According to the Director-General of NAPTIP, the victims ranged in age from one to twenty-four. Among them were two boys who were minors, one nursing mother, and seven young girls, six of whom were pregnant. “The Department of State Services (DSS), Abia State Command, discovered the baby factory,” the spokesperson stated.

Waziri-Azi went on to say that the owner of the baby factory was a 63-year-old lady who was arrested. In addition, the NAPTIP Abia State Liaison Office had received both the accused and the victims for additional examination and necessary action. “We commend the DSS Abia State Command for the successful operation,” the spokesperson stated.

To prevent their wards from becoming victims of dishonest people, the Director General asked the public, particularly parents, to exercise caution. She exhorted communities to keep working with the Law Enforcement Agency and NAPTIP to further aid in the fight against human trafficking. She urged people to swiftly report trafficking cases to NAPTIP by contacting the agency at 0703 0000 203 or short code 627 (available only on MTN and Airtel).

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