The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), working with the Rivers State Ministry of Health, has sealed a maternity facility in the Elelenwo area of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, following allegations of baby-selling, illegal adoption and child trafficking.
The agency also arrested the owner of the facility, an alleged facilitator of the suspected baby sale and another staff member as investigators moved to dismantle what authorities suspect could be part of a wider child-trafficking network operating through a healthcare facility.
The facility was allegedly being operated from a residential apartment, raising further concerns about the activities taking place there and whether the establishment was being used to conceal the alleged procurement and transfer of children.
NAPTIP said the operation followed intelligence indicating that the facility may have been involved in activities associated with illegal adoption, child sale and trafficking.
The development forms part of the agency’s nationwide crackdown on fraudulent maternity and healthcare centres allegedly operating as “baby factories”, where vulnerable women and children can become victims of criminal networks involved in the illegal procurement and transfer of babies.
Preliminary investigations have reportedly uncovered a particularly disturbing aspect of the Port Harcourt case.
According to NAPTIP, a Liberian national residing in Belgium allegedly arrived in Nigeria without evidence of pregnancy but took custody of three children within approximately one month.
The circumstances surrounding how the three children came into her custody are now at the centre of the investigation.
NAPTIP said intelligence available to investigators indicated that approximately N13.5 million allegedly changed hands in connection with the transfer of the three children and other individuals associated with the maternity facility.
The alleged financial transactions have triggered further investigations as authorities work to determine who received the money, who facilitated the transactions and whether the funds represented payments for the children or were connected to other activities.
NAPTIP operatives from Abuja and Rivers State, alongside officials of the Rivers State Ministry of Health, subsequently carried out a coordinated operation at the facility.
The premises were sealed to preserve possible evidence and safeguard the scene while investigators continue their probe.
Authorities are now racing to establish the identities, whereabouts and welfare of the three children allegedly transferred through the network.
Investigators are also working to determine their biological and legal parentage and establish whether proper legal procedures were followed in their custody and transfer.
Another major focus of the investigation is identifying the people who allegedly procured the children, arranged their transfer and facilitated their movement.
NAPTIP said investigators are also tracing financial transactions linked to the suspected deal in an effort to uncover the full chain of individuals allegedly involved.
The agency is further examining the possible involvement of medical personnel and other individuals who may have used their professional positions or connections to facilitate the alleged activities.
The case has renewed concerns about the activities of illegal maternity homes and suspected baby factories in Nigeria, particularly facilities that allegedly operate outside proper regulatory oversight.
NAPTIP Director-General, Binta Adamu Bello, expressed concern over the alleged involvement of some maternity and healthcare facility operators in illegal adoption, child sale and human trafficking.
Bello said the alleged involvement of foreign nationals in the procurement of Nigerian children was particularly disturbing.
“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. This is sad and totally unacceptable,” she said.
The NAPTIP boss vowed that investigators would pursue 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 added.
She, however, stressed that the investigation remains ongoing and that allegations against those arrested must be subjected to due process.
“I wish to reaffirm that the matter remains under active investigation and that all persons found connected to it will be subjected to due process under the law,” Bello said.
According to her, the agency’s immediate priority is to protect the affected children while establishing the facts surrounding their alleged procurement and transfer.
“The Agency will ensure that anyone found culpable is brought to justice, while the safety and welfare of the affected children remain its foremost priority,” she added.
The development is likely to raise fresh questions about how suspected illegal adoption networks operate, how children are allegedly procured and transferred, and whether some healthcare facilities are being exploited as fronts for trafficking activities.
NAPTIP urged members of the public to remain vigilant and report suspected cases of child trafficking, illegal adoption, baby-selling and other forms of exploitation.
The agency said its investigation into the Port Harcourt facility would continue until the circumstances surrounding the alleged procurement and transfer of the three children are fully established and all persons found to have played a role are identified and subjected to due process.