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.By Jennifer John
The Imo state Police command has uncovered
a child trafficking syndicate specializing in turning teenage girls to ‘raw
materials’ for mass producing babies which they sell to the highest bidder.
These unscrupulous merchants house
the girls in a ‘baby factory’ in the guise of a charity home and pay the girls
pittance for the babies delivered, while selling at a profit.
Crimefacts.news reports that no fewer than 14 pregnant girls
and four children were freed recently by the police, from a baby factory in
Abia state.
Addressing
newsmen, the Imo state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Rabiu Ladodo said trouble
started for the child trafficking syndicate on the 5th day of
November, 2019.
He
said that based on tip off that one Blessing Sunday, a steward at Mma Charity
Home at Umumkpee Village in Isiala Ngwa South LGA of Abia State had lured a
pregnant mother to Aba, Abia State where a Caesarian Section was carried out on
her and the newly delivered baby stolen and sold by the owner of the centre,
Mrs. Mma Achumba of Umumkpee, while the said Blessing Sunday hurriedly returned
her victim to their village in Okwe-Owerre Umueze II of Ehime Mbano LGA, Imo
state, while still bleeding.
According
to Ladodo, this came to the knowledge of the youths of the community and in
anger the youths descended on Blessing Sunday and were about to set her and her
family house ablaze before a team of police officers raced to the scene,
rescued her from the angry youths and rushed her to the hospital for treatment
while the victim Onuwa Grace Nwachukwu was rushed to the Police Clinic, Owerri
where she was admitted for treatment.
The CP said: “Days after her discharge from the Police Clinic, the victim managed to lead the Scorpion Squad of the Imo state Police command to Umumkpee Village in Isiala Ngwa South LGA of Abia State, in search of the baby and the owner of the centre, Mrs. Mma Achumba, the prime suspect.
“Though
Mrs. Achumba escaped when the Police stormed Mma Charity Home, but a total of
Fourteen (14) pregnant ladies and Four (4) children were rescued.
“A breakdown of the
rescued pregnant ladies shows that four (4) are from Ngor-Okpala LGA of Imo
State; two (2) are from Mbiabong in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State; while eight (8) are
from Obingwa/Isiala Ngwa and Bende LGAs of Abia State.
“The victims were kept
at the centre waiting for the time they will deliver their babies and the owner
of the home will pay them off at rates ranging from N300,000 to N350,000
depending on the sex of the child.”
The Imo State Police Commissioner,
CP Ladodo noted also that the teenagers were kept in the baby factory without
the knowledge or consent of their parents.
He regretted that the
director of the centre Mrs. Mma Achumba and her staff are still at large but
assured that efforts are being intensified to bring the child trafficking syndicate
to book. Alza Bitmarea
