The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has shut down a suspected illegal maternity facility in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, following an investigation into the alleged sale and unlawful transfer of three children.
Key Highlights
- NAPTIP shuts suspected illegal maternity home: The agency sealed a facility in Elelenwo, Port Harcourt, over alleged child trafficking and illegal transfer of children.
- Three suspects arrested: The facility owner, an alleged intermediary and a staff member were taken into custody.
- Three children allegedly transferred: Investigators are probing the suspected sale and unlawful transfer of three children.
- ₦13.5m allegedly paid: NAPTIP said preliminary findings indicated that about ₦13.5 million was allegedly paid in connection with the children’s transfer.
- Foreign national under investigation: A Liberian woman living in Belgium allegedly took custody of three children despite arriving in Nigeria without evidence of pregnancy.
Three suspects, including the owner of the facility, an alleged intermediary and a staff member, were arrested during the operation.
The facility, located in the Elelenwo area of Port Harcourt, was reportedly operating from a residential building.
NAPTIP said the operation was conducted by its operatives from Abuja and Rivers State in partnership with officials of the Rivers State Ministry of Health after receiving intelligence about a suspected child-trafficking network involved in the procurement and sale of children.
According to the agency, preliminary findings showed that a Liberian woman living in Belgium arrived in Nigeria without any evidence indicating that she was pregnant but allegedly took custody of three children within a period of about one month.
Investigators also discovered information suggesting that about ₦13.5 million was allegedly paid in connection with the transfer of the three children.
NAPTIP said efforts were underway to establish the identities and current locations of the children, while also determining their biological parents and legal status.
The agency added that investigators were tracing financial transactions linked to the alleged deal and examining the possible involvement of medical workers and other individuals connected to the facility.
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The maternity home has been sealed as investigations continue and to preserve possible evidence.
NAPTIP Director-General, Binta Bello, condemned the alleged involvement of maternity and healthcare facilities in illegal adoption, child trafficking and baby sales.
Bello expressed concern that foreign nationals were allegedly travelling to Nigeria to obtain children through suspected criminal networks.
She vowed that everyone found to have played a role in the alleged operation would face prosecution in accordance with the law.
The NAPTIP boss also said the investigation was still ongoing and stressed that the welfare and safety of the affected children remained the agency’s priority.
The agency urged members of the public to report suspected cases of baby selling, illegal adoption, child trafficking and other forms of exploitation to its offices across the country.
The latest operation is part of NAPTIP’s wider crackdown on suspected “baby factories” and fraudulent maternity facilities allegedly being used as fronts for child trafficking and illegal adoption.
