‘Why I bin wan sell my pikin for baby factory’

Nigerian police on Thursday rescue six pregnant women after dem bust one suspected “baby factory” for Rivers state.

Police say dem gbab one 39-year-old woman - di alleged owner of di child trafficking home - during di raid.

According to di Commissioner of Police Rivers State, Polycarp Nwonyi, na for 27 May, 2023 dem receive distrsss call from a local vigilante for di Counter Terrorism Unit for Rumuagholu say dem don discover one building close to Akas Estate for Rumuekini Community, Obio Akpor LGA and dem arrest di owner and rescue six pregnant girls.

One of six di pregnant women na 16-year-old Benita (no be her real name).

Benita say she bin dey di factory because her boyfriend no gree accept di belle.

“My boyfriend tell me to go abort di pregnancy Wen I tell am say I don get belle, say im no want di pikin.”

Di 16-year-old say her mama encourage her not to abort di baby her di rejection.

Benita mama tok say she go take care of di baby, but she later fall sick.

Since Benita no sabi how she take care of di baby and mama wey wan help no dey ok, she say dis na why carry waka go di factory.

She add say na somebodi introduce her to di woman wey dey run di baby factory/

Dem promise to pay her ''N250,000 if na boy and N200,000 if na girl.'' Benita tok.

‘I no dey sell di babies but...'

Di 39-year-old wey dey allegedly dey operate baby factory say she dey ''sell a baby girl for N1.4million while a baby boy dey go for N1.5million.''

"If na di one wey come wen she dey two months to born, I dey give N800,000, N900,000 but if she dey five months pregnant I dey give like N500 - N6500,000, if na three months I pay N350,000 - N400,000."

She say she no intend ''to do bad things or use di babies for rituals but na to help pipo wey no get pikin.''

Di alleged baby factory operator say why she start di business na becos she bin wan start a orphanage home but she no get di money to meet up so she decide to start like dis and she don dey do am for di past three years and she don successfully sell out almost six babies since she start.

Di police also arrest a 47 year old woman from Osun State wey dey allegedly introduce pregnant girls to di operator of di alleged baby factory.

Police now dey keep di prime suspect and alleged operator of di baby factory plus one suspected buyer for dia custody for more investigate.

Dem say dem go carry dem go court after dia investigate.

‘Poverty na di main reason young pregnant girls dey fall victim’

“Poverty dey at di heart of dis baby factory ring.”

Na so Deborah Effiong, a Gender rights advocate for Port Harcourt tok be di reason wey many young girls dey fall victim to dis baby factory business.

Deborah Effiong say di operators of dis baby factory dey take advantage of di vulnerability of dis young and helpless girls wey find demsefs for dis situation.

“If you check, dis girls dey come from poor backgrounds wey di family life no too strong, dem no get di right information and to feed sef na problem so wen dem come find demsefs pregnant, di parents go often pursue dem comot for House becos dem no fit cater for di extra mouth.”

Deborah Effiong add say economic factor too dey becos most of di girls dey di am to get money.

“No surprise say di mama of some of dis girls dey aware and dey encourage dem to sell di pikin to make money after dem make deal with di midwife and di owner of di baby factory.

Di unfortunate tin be say at di end of di day, di girl wey carry di pregnancy dey get di short end of di stick becos di larger share of di money dem collect for di sale of di baby dey go to di operator of di baby factory and di midwife.

So dem fit sell di pikin for say N900,000 but di girl fit get like N100,000 at di end of di day wey she no go for use do anything.”

Mrs Effiong say if Goment go create an institution wey girls wey find demsefs for dis situation for go dia and Goment go take care of dem and dem born and go through legal adoption of di baby, e go go a long way to check dis baby factory business.

“Na for Goment to give dis girls beta incentive say come we go ensure say you complete your education or learn skill wey go empower you and then, after she born di pikin, dem facilitate legal adoption process, dis baby factory tin go stop. Na for our Goment to get dat kain policy on ground and for pipo too to trust di process so dem fit key in.”

She add say make society too no shame young girls wey get belle outside marriage as na dat shame dey push dem enter dis kain trap.