Victor Edozie , Port Harcourt
The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has sealed a suspected illegal maternity facility in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, over alleged baby sale and child trafficking.
The agency, in collaboration with the Rivers State Ministry of Health, also arrested three persons, including the owner of the facility, an alleged facilitator of the baby sale and a staff member.
NAPTIP’s Head of Press and Public Relations, Vincent Adekoye, in a statement, on Thursday, said the operation followed intelligence on a suspected criminal network allegedly involved in the procurement, sale and unlawful transfer of children.
He said the facility, located in the Elelenwo area of Port Harcourt, was allegedly operating from a residential apartment and is suspected to have been converted into an illegal maternity facility.
He said preliminary investigations revealed that a Liberian national resident in Belgium arrived in Nigeria without evidence of pregnancy but allegedly took custody of three children within about one month.
The agency said intelligence available to it indicated that about N13.5 million allegedly changed hands in connection with the transfer of the three children and other persons linked to the maternity.
NAPTIP said its operatives from Abuja and Rivers State, alongside officials of the Rivers State Ministry of Health, carried out a coordinated operation at the facility..”The premises were subsequently sealed to preserve the scene and safeguard potential evidence as investigations continue.”
NAPTIP confirmed that investigators are conducting forensic and documentary inquiries to establish the identities, whereabouts and welfare of the children, as well as determine their biological and legal parentage.
“The agency is also tracing financial transactions linked to the alleged procurement and transfer of the children while investigating the possible involvement of medical personnel and other individuals,” it said.
The Director-General of NAPTIP, Binta Bello, expressed concern over the alleged activities of some maternity and health facilities that have reportedly become centres for illegal adoption, baby-selling and child trafficking.
Bello said she was particularly disturbed by the alleged involvement of foreign nationals in the procurement of children from suspected criminal operators in Nigeria.
“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.
She added that the agency had widened its investigation to identify all persons connected to the case, assuring that anyone found culpable would face the law.
“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.
She stressed that the safety and welfare of the affected children remained the agency’s foremost priority.
The NAPTIP boss thius urged Nigerians to remain vigilant and report suspected cases of child trafficking, illegal adoption, baby-selling and other forms of exploitation to the agency through its nearest zonal or state command.
