Key points
- NAPTIP has sealed a maternity facility in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, over an alleged N13.5m child-trafficking and baby-sale operation.
- Three people, including the facility owner, an alleged facilitator and a staff member, were arrested.
- A Liberian woman living in Belgium is allegedly linked to the procurement of three children.
- NAPTIP said the woman arrived in Nigeria without evidence of pregnancy but allegedly took custody of three children within about a month.
- Investigators are tracing the alleged N13.5m payment and working to establish the children’s identities, parentage and welfare.
Main Story
A maternity facility in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, has been sealed by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) following intelligence linking it to an alleged N13.5m baby-selling and child-trafficking operation.
The agency also arrested three people, including the owner of the facility, an alleged facilitator and another staff member, during a joint operation with the Rivers State Ministry of Health.
The facility, located in the Elelenwo area of Port Harcourt and reportedly operating from a residential apartment, came under investigation after intelligence suggested that it was being used by a network involved in the procurement, sale and unlawful transfer of children.
NAPTIP said the investigation took a more troubling turn after investigators identified a Liberian national resident in Belgium as an alleged beneficiary of the operation. According to the agency, the woman arrived in Nigeria without evidence of pregnancy but allegedly took custody of three children within approximately one month.
The circumstances surrounding the children’s acquisition prompted further investigation, with intelligence suggesting that about N13.5m allegedly changed hands in connection with the transfer of the children and other persons linked to the maternity.
Following the intelligence, operatives from NAPTIP’s Abuja and Rivers commands, working with officials of the Rivers State Ministry of Health, raided the facility and sealed the premises to preserve evidence and prevent further access to potential victims.
Investigators are now working to determine the identities, whereabouts and welfare of the three children, while also establishing their biological and legal parentage. The agency is tracing the alleged financial transactions and examining the possible involvement of medical personnel and other individuals.
The Issues
The operation comes amid heightened concern over suspected “baby factories” and illegal adoption networks operating under the cover of maternity and healthcare facilities.
NAPTIP has increased surveillance of such facilities following intelligence suggesting that some are being used to facilitate illegal adoption, child sales and trafficking.
The alleged involvement of a foreign national also raises concerns about the cross-border dimension of child trafficking and the exploitation of Nigeria’s healthcare and adoption systems by criminal networks.
What’s Being Said
Binta Bello, Director-General, NAPTIP:
Bello expressed concern over the alleged activities of some maternity and healthcare operators and the reported involvement of foreign nationals in procuring children through suspected criminal networks.
“I am particularly disturbed that foreign nationals now come to Nigeria to patronize these suspected criminal elements and procure children like a common object of trade across the border.”
She said the agency had widened its investigation to identify everyone connected to the alleged operation.
“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.”
Bello stressed that the investigation remained ongoing and that suspects would be subjected to due process.
What’s Next
NAPTIP is expected to continue tracing the alleged financial transactions and identifying other individuals who may have been involved in the operation.
The agency will also work to establish the identities and parentage of the three children and ensure their safety and welfare throughout the investigation.
Anyone found culpable is expected to face prosecution, while NAPTIP has urged members of the public to report suspected cases of child trafficking, illegal adoption and baby-selling to its commands.
Bottom Line
The N13.5m allegation has brought fresh attention to the hidden networks that can exploit maternity facilities and adoption processes to traffic children. Beyond the arrests and sealing of the facility, the investigation will now have to uncover where the three children came from, who paid for them and who else may have been involved.
