6 pregnant girls rescued in raid of baby factory

Nigerian police have raided a baby factory in the oil city of
Port Harcourt and arrested a woman accused of harbouring
six pregnant girls, a spokeswoman said Wednesday.
"We rescued six girls last week at different stages of
pregnancy from an illegal maternity home in Port
Harcourt," Joy Elomoko of the Imo State police said.
She said the youngest of the girls was 14, without disclosing
the ages of the others.
"We have also arrested the proprietress of the clinic and she
is assisting us in our investigation," she said.
File photo: Pregnant girls at a baby factory
Elomoko said the raid on the Port Harcourt home followed
the arrest of a girl with a baby in nearby Owerri on October
15.
"A lady was found in suspicious circumstances with a day
old baby and after interrogation she confessed that she gave
birth to a baby in Port Harcourt," the police spokeswoman
said.
Elomoko said police detectives followed the girl to Port
Harcourt where six expectant mothers were found in a clinic
run by a woman.
"The woman could not produce any document authorising
her to operate the clinic and she was subsequently arrested,"
she said.
She said the girls also told police that they were being kept
in the home to make babies which would be sold to willing
buyers.
Elomoko said the suspect would be taken to court after
police investigation.
Nigerian police have uncovered a series of alleged baby
factories in recent years, notably in the southeastern part of
the country. Baby boys can sell for a price of around $250
(180 euros), baby girls for slightly less.
Human trafficking, including the selling of children, is the
third most common crime in Nigeria behind fraud and drug
trafficking, according to the United Nations