Di trend of 'baby factory' and sad experience of young victims for Nigeria

"I no get help naim make I find myself for dis situation."

Dis na di reason one of di victims of child trafficking and baby factory syndicate, Gift (no be her real name) tok, wey police authorities rescue for Igwuruta and Omagwa communities for Ikwerre local goment area of Rivers state, Southern Nigeria.

Operatives of C4i Intelligence Unit raid two houses for Igwuruta and Omagwa communities for Ikwerre local goment area of Rivers State and rescue 10 women and young girls - most of dem dey pregnant victims.

Dem also arrest four pesins including one 17 year old boy wey allegedly give some of di women belle and 40 year old woman wey be di alleged leader of di child trafficking syndicate.

Police tok tok pesin, SP Grace Iringe-Koko say investigation reveal say di pregnant women and girls deliver dia pikin.

Di leader of di syndicate go keep di pikin and later sell am, di police tok.

She go later settle di women depending in di sex of di pjkin she born: boy pikin na N800,000 and girl pikin na N700,000.

Gift wey be one of di victims say her papa and mama don die leaving she and her small younger brother.

So wen she tell her boyfriend say she don get belle, e abandon her so her friend introduce her to di ‘Aunty’ (di alleged leader of di syndicate) wey promise to take care of her till she born.

She plan to settle her wit money from di sale of her pikin wey she go use start business help herself.

Cases of baby factory for Nigeria

Dis no be only time security operatives don bust such baby factory and child trafficking rings any wia for Nigeria in recent times, dem don bust and make similar arrests.

For August 2022, one 23 year old lady confess to Ogun State Police Command say she sell her three weeks old baby for six hundred thousand naira.

Mary wey come from Omu-aran local goment area for Kwara State, North-central Nigeria confam say she sell di baby to one pesin wey her friend introduce give her for Anambra state.

Papa of di baby bin lodge complain for Mowe police divisional headquarters wey lead to her arrest.

E say im meet Mary sometimes ago and dem begin date. Afta sometimes she get belle and im rent house for her wia she live until she born baby boy.

E say di lady suddenly disappear wit di baby from di apartment three weeks afta she born and na for hotel im go see her wia she go for hook up wit anoda man.

For September 2022, Police for Rivers State parade one Reverend Sister and charge her to court for alleged child trafficking after dem discover some small pikin dem for her house.

Some of dem na victims of kidnapping incidents form neighbouring states like Bayelsa State wey police don dey investigate.

For October 2022, Police Tactical Unit, Nigerian Navy, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and di National Agency for di Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) join bodi do also arrest three suspects.

Di suspects dey run brothels for di Diobu area of Rivers State and rescue about 50 sex workers.

Some of di victims dey as young as 14 years old and say dia madam deceive dem say dem dey come help do salesgirl work for her restaurant only for dem to come from dia village to Port Harcourt come dey do sex work.

‘Convict and sentence promoters’

To stop all dis kain tin na im make Nigeria goment create di Naptip.

Goment create Naptip on 14 July 2003 by di Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act 2003.

Di Agency na di Federal Goment of Nigeria response to address di challenge of trafficking in pesins.

Di agency na fulfilment of di kontri international obligation under di Trafficking in Persons Protocol to prevent, suppress and punish trafficking in pesins, especially women and small pikin dem, to add to di United Nations Transnational Organized Crime Convention (UNTOC).

Nigeria become a signatory to di Transnational Organized Crime Convention and di Trafficking in Persons Protocol on 13 December, 2000.

Article 5 of di Trafficking Protocol ask States Parties to criminalize practices and conduct wey dey subject human beings to all forms of exploitation wey also include sexual and labour exploitation.

Dis dem dey do with join body wit security agencies like di Police, NSCDC and military personnel too.

Dia duty na to track, arrest and prosecute pipo wey dey promote trafficking in pesins and such related offenses and also to rehabilitate victims of trafficking.

Dis dem dey join bodi with idas security agencies to do.

Anoda way na to prosecute and convict perpetrators of baby factory and child trafficking.

For March 2022, Magistrate Court for Rivers State sentence one Blessing Stephen to 10 years in prison for child trafficking.

Na for December 2018 di incident happen for Rumukalagbor area of Port Harcourt di Rivers State capital.

Chief Magistrate Amaka Amanze wey deliver di judgement sentence Blessing Stephen to 3 years imprisonment for conspiracy and 7 years for child trafficking - offence wey chop punishment under section 27(2)(B)(C) of di Child Rights Act cap 50 LFN 2003.

Esther Achor-Korienta of International Federation of Women Lawyers FIDA wey join to prosecute dis case on behalf of FIDA hail di judgement as one of di many break-through judgment dem don win as dem continue to fight against child selling and trafficking.

How to stop am

Di pipo wey dey involved in baby factory na human beings no be spirit.

Dem get wia dem dey live wey most times na among oda members of a community.

Police say di way to stop am na for pipo to always report wen dem notice any suspicious activities inside pesin compound.

“Na two way tin if buyers of di pikin no dey, di business no go boom so both di buyers and dI sellers dey guilty,” di Rivers state police tok-tok pesin tell BBC News Pidgin.

Iringe-Koko say, "Like for dis case, di Commissioner of Police don direct di State Criminal Investigation Department to track and arrest di buyers of di pikin dem wey dem don already sell out.” 

She add say wen many child traffickers and baby factory operators dey convicted and face dia prison terms, e go serve as warning to odas.