Security forces uncover baby factory in Lagos where newborns are sold for ₦1 million; 18 women rescued

• NSCDC operatives busted a "baby factory" in Badagry, rescuing 18 pregnant women and 10 children after a three-week intelligence operation.
  

• Newborns were allegedly sold for between ₦500,000 and ₦1.8 million, with two suspects, Joy Okeke and Raphael Agwu, arrested at the scene.
  

• Operators used Facebook groups to find vulnerable women, promising them large payouts to surrender their babies immediately after delivery.
  

• The victims are now in the care of NAPTIP, while the suspects face prosecution for what authorities call a "grievous crime against humanity."

There was an uneasy mix of relief and disbelief in Badagry this week after operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Lagos State Command, uncovered what authorities described as a baby factory operating quietly in the Okuju, Ilado area.

The operation, which took place late Wednesday night and stretched into the early hours of Thursday, led to the rescue of 18 pregnant women and 10 children. Two suspects, identified as Joy Okeke and Raphael Agwu, were also arrested at the scene.

According to officials, many of the women found at the facility had connected with the operators through Facebook, where arrangements were made for them to surrender their babies after delivery in exchange for payments ranging from ₦500,000 to as much as ₦1.8 million.

The victims, aged between 18 and 30, were later paraded at the NSCDC office in Ibereko, Badagry, on Friday. Some of the women were already pregnant, while others had come along with children and infants, who were also reportedly up for sale.

Speaking during the parade, Lagos State NSCDC Commandant, Adedotun Keshinro, said the raid followed three weeks of intelligence gathering.

“They are operating a baby factory where victims are made pregnant. When the babies are delivered, they are sold,” Keshinro said.

“The suspects entice the victims who are pregnant to come and negotiate with them that when they deliver the babies, the babies will be taken from them and they’ll be paid off.

“When they deliver the babies, the babies will be taken from them to be sold to their customers, and the victims will be paid off.”

He added that one of the rescued women had suffered a miscarriage, leaving 17 others still pregnant.

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“There are 18 victims who are fully pregnant, but one of them had a miscarriage. So, 17 of them are currently carrying pregnancies. And there are other babies there who are grown, and they are also here on negotiation to be sold to interested buyers,” he said.

Authorities described the operation as a “grievous crime against humanity,” noting that the suspects would be handed over to the police for prosecution, while the rescued women would be transferred to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP).

Items recovered from the facility included a pumping machine, generator, standing fans, gas cylinders, cooking pots, phones, mats, toiletries, baby skincare products and food items, signs that the building had been functioning as a full-time residence for the women.

On the fate of the building, Keshinro said the Lagos State Government would decide whether to demolish it.

“We will hand over the place to the state government. The state government may decide to demolish the place so that they will not be able to continue to use it for that activity,” he explained.

When questioned by journalists, the alleged operator, Joy Okeke, insisted she was only helping people adopt children.

“We are adopting children to give to those who don’t have children. I have been doing this for some months. I moved here from Ikorodu in search of a bigger apartment. We were in Ikorodu before. We are two operating this place,” she said.

However, she declined to provide further details, insisting on legal representation.

“I can talk further when my lawyer is here. I don’t want to talk anymore.

“If you are interrogating me, my lawyer should be present.”

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Some of the rescued women told journalists they willingly joined the arrangement after negotiating online, agreeing to surrender their babies after delivery in exchange for payment.

One of them, identified simply as Joy, said she turned to the facility after becoming pregnant for what she described as an irresponsible man. She added that she already had two children being cared for by her mother in the village.

Several of the women also said they were fed regularly, allowed to use their phones, and could request medical attention when needed, but were not allowed to leave freely. They added that leaving before delivery meant forfeiting any payment.

Raphael Agwu, who was arrested alongside Okeke, defended the operation, claiming the women came voluntarily.

“There are agents on an online group who propose that instead of aborting it, you can come to us, and we will take care of you. And when you deliver the child, we’ll take the baby for ourselves,” he said.

“There are groups for adoption, abortion and unwanted pregnancies on Facebook. They are open groups. These people post that they want to give up their child for adoption, and negotiation begins.”

He added that he believed the arrangement helped both pregnant women and childless couples.

“They were already pregnant on their own and decided to give birth for adoption. So, in order for us to be safe, because of that agreement, they gave their consent and everything.”

Agwu also said compensation of at least N1 million attracted many of the women.

“They came on their own. Some of them were referred to us by agents. Most of them came with their children. All those children you saw are people who came with their kids.

“Some childless couples come to us seeking to adopt children. I didn’t see it as a big crime because my thinking is they are helping some childless couples,” he said.

For now, the women are in protective custody, the suspects are awaiting prosecution, and the quiet Badagry neighborhood where the facility operated is left grappling with the disturbing discovery that, behind closed doors, babies were being negotiated and sold.