Some of the rescued babies and pregnant teenagers
From Blessing Ibunge, Port Harcourt
Rivers State Police Command has rescued 24 babies and four pregnant teenagers from alleged baby factory in Port Harcourt.
The State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Nnamdi Omoni who briefed journalists on the developmen yesterday in Port Harcourt, said the rescued babies were between the ages of one and two years.
Parading the suspects in Port Harcourt, yesterday, the PPRO who represented the state Commissioners of Police, Mustapha Dandaura, said the syndicate was uncovered on Tuesday at about 3.30pm.
He said following a tipoff information, the Eagle Crack Unit of the Command stormed the venue of the alleged factory in Woji area of Port Harcourt where the babies and pregnant teenagers were rescued.
Omoni, said disclosed that the babies are currently receiving medical attention at the Police clinic, adding investigations had commenced to identify other suspects at large.
He said, “Today, I am glad to inform you that operatives of the Eagle Crack in a covert operation yesterday 25/2/2020 at about 1530hrs, burst a child trafficking syndicate at Woji in Port Harcourt, where twenty four babies between the ages of one and two years and four pregnant teenagers were recovered.
“The babies and pregnant teenagers who are frail and malnourished are currently receiving medical attention at the police clinic, while investigation is still on with a view to making more recoveries and bringing the masterminds to justice.
“The command is hereby appealing to the public, particularly residents of the state who’s babies are missing to come forward for identification and collection.”
He, however, called on residents of the state whose babies were missing to avail themselves at the state Police headquarters to identity and take home their babies.
Meanwhile, one of the rescued pregnant teenegers who simply identified herself as Queen from Biara community in Gokana Local Government Area of Rivers state said she was taken to the suspected baby making factory by a friend who told her that that facility usually care for stranded pregnant teenagers until they give birth.
“Somebody living in our community brought me here because they use to take care of pregnant women till they deliver, and if the mothers want to take away their babies, or leave the facility and come back later to collect their babies, they can do so. Nobody forced me here and this is my first pregnancy.”
Also, the owner of the home burst by the police has denied the claim by the police that the home was a baby factory, noting that the orphanage and transition home was registered as a Non-Governmental Organization in 2018.
Eunice Uchendu , lawyer for the home, said: “Yesterday the E-Crack team came to Tenter Life Foundation Initiative and arrested the owner and others persons on wrong information that it was a baby factory, which is not true.
“It is an orphanage home. She (owner) works in collaboration with the Rivers State Ministry of Social Welfare. The ministry also gave her grant to run a similar thing at Ogoni area. This body was registered in 2018, June.”
