By: Lauretta Fagbohun, Abeokuta.
Operatives of the Mowe Division of the Ogun State Police Command have dismantled an alleged illegal baby factory in the Obafemi-Owode Local Government Area of the state, arresting six suspects and rescuing two pregnant women and four children.
The operation, conducted at about 8 a.m. on Monday, August 24, followed sustained intelligence on the activities of the syndicate operating at Toluwalase Street, Abaren Village, via Gbarinmole, a suburb of Mowe.
The Deputy Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Oluborode Opeyemi, said preliminary investigations indicated that human trafficking and illegal adoption had allegedly been taking place at the facility for some time.
The two pregnant women rescued were identified as 23-year-old Ilesanmi Foluke, who was seven months pregnant, and 20-year-old Ejekwa Melody, who was eight months pregnant. Four children, comprising two boys and two girls, were also recovered during the operation.
Those arrested include Florence Glory Ogbona, 58; Magdalene Julius, 63, an attending nurse; Oseni Kusamotu Idaya; Chidike Egwuonwu, 40; Onyechu Chidike, 35; and Stephen Ogbona, 39.
Opeyemi disclosed that intelligence-led follow-up operations also took police operatives to a hospital within the Mowe axis, where another victim, 26-year-old Blessing Bright Effiong, had delivered a baby boy on August 20. He said the whereabouts of the newborn could not be accounted for while the mother was receiving medical treatment, leading to the arrest of the attending nurse to facilitate efforts to locate the child.
He added that the case had been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Eleweran, Abeokuta, for further investigation to determine the full extent of the syndicate’s activities, locate the missing newborn and prosecute all suspects found culpable.
The Commissioner of Police, Bode Ojajuni, commended the operatives for the successful operation and reaffirmed the command’s commitment to combating human trafficking, child trading and other forms of violent crime across the state. He urged residents to remain vigilant and provide the police with timely and credible information to strengthen intelligence-led policing and protect vulnerable members of the public.
