19 Nigerian women were rescued from being trafficked in Lagos, where they were raped, became forcibly pregnant, and had their babies sold.
On September 19, police busted a human trafficking hub in Nigeria. They rescued 19 pregnant women, aged between 15 and 28, and four children from four properties in Lagos they described as one “baby factory.” The police were tipped off by locals who reported an abnormal amount of pregnant women on their street. The woman who ran the operation, known as Madam Oluchi, escaped shortly before the raids and is suspected of trafficking girls all around the region. Authorities are still searching for Ms. Oluchi. However, two young women, acting as nurses for the victims yet had no medical training, were arrested.
The trafficked women were being abducted and brought to this factory where they were forced into sex slavery until they became pregnant. They were told they would stay until their babies were carried to term, and then would have the option to leave. One victim reported she “slept with seven different men before [she] discovered [she] was pregnant.”
These babies were being sold by the traffickers at a rate of $1400 for a boy and $830 for a girl. A few women signed up voluntarily and were told they would be “paid handsomely,” but never received any money.
Baby factories are not uncommon in Nigeria. In 2018, one factory was busted in Lagos saving 160 children.
Police authorities report they are working to rehouse and rehabilitate the victims.
Sources: Independent 9/30/19, BBC 9/30/19, BBC 4/26/18, Metro 10/1/19
