NAPTIP has made a major breakthrough in Rivers State, sealing a suspected baby factory in Port Harcourt and arresting three people over alleged child trafficking and a ₦13.5 million baby-sale transaction.
The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has sealed a suspected illegal maternity facility in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, and arrested three people over alleged child trafficking and unlawful transfer of children.
The operation, carried out in collaboration with officials of the Rivers State Ministry of Health, followed actionable intelligence on a suspected criminal network allegedly involved in the procurement, sale and unlawful transfer of children.
NAPTIP’s Head of Press and Public Relations, Vincent Adekoye, disclosed the development in a statement, saying the facility was located in the Elelenwo area of Port Harcourt and was allegedly operating from a residential apartment converted into an illegal maternity facility.
Those arrested include the owner of the facility, an alleged facilitator in the suspected baby-sale network and another staff member.
According to NAPTIP, preliminary investigations revealed that a Liberian national residing in Belgium arrived in Nigeria without evidence of pregnancy but allegedly took custody of three children within about one month, raising concerns about the circumstances surrounding their procurement and transfer.
The agency said intelligence available to investigators indicated that approximately ₦13.5 million allegedly changed hands in connection with the transfer of the three children and other related transactions.
Following the intelligence, NAPTIP operatives from its Abuja and Rivers commands, alongside officials of the Rivers State Ministry of Health, conducted a coordinated operation at the suspected facility.
The premises were subsequently sealed to preserve the scene and safeguard potential evidence while investigations continue.
NAPTIP said investigators are conducting forensic and documentary inquiries to establish the identities, whereabouts and welfare of the affected children, as well as determine their biological and legal parentage.
The investigation is also focused on identifying all persons involved in the alleged procurement and transfer of the children, tracing financial transactions and determining the circumstances surrounding the alleged payments.
The agency is further examining the possible involvement of medical personnel and other individuals who may have facilitated the suspected criminal operation.
The operation followed a nationwide surveillance directive reportedly issued months earlier by NAPTIP Director-General, Binta Adamu-Bello, after intelligence suggested that some maternity homes and health facilities were being used as fronts for illegal adoption, baby sales, trafficking and fertility-related scams.
Reacting to the development, Bello expressed concern over the alleged involvement of some maternity and health-centre operators in child trafficking and illegal adoption practices.
She also raised concern over the alleged involvement of foreign nationals in procuring children through suspected criminal networks in Nigeria.
According to the NAPTIP Director-General, the agency has expanded its investigation to identify everyone connected to the case and ensure that anyone found culpable faces the law.
She stressed that the case remains under active investigation and assured that all persons found connected to the alleged criminal activities would be subjected to due process.
Bello further said the safety and welfare of the affected children remained NAPTIP’s foremost priority.
She urged members of the public to remain vigilant and promptly 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.
The Rivers operation underscores NAPTIP’s intensified efforts to dismantle suspected child-trafficking networks operating under the guise of maternity and healthcare facilities, as investigations into the Port Harcourt case continue.
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