Eighteen pregnant women and 10 children have been rescued by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) from a suspected baby factory in Okuju, Ilado, Badagry, Lagos. The operation, conducted from late Wednesday to early Thursday, led to the arrest of Joy Okeke and Raphael Agwu, who are alleged to have operated the facility. The women, aged between 18 and 30, were reportedly paid between N500,000 and N1.8 million after delivering their babies, which were then sold to buyers. Some women also brought infants to the facility for sale.
NSCDC Lagos State Commandant Adedotun Keshinro disclosed that the suspects lured pregnant women with promises of payment upon delivery, after which the babies were taken and sold. One woman suffered a miscarriage during the ordeal. The suspects face prosecution, while the victims will be transferred to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons. The facility will be handed over to the Lagos State Government for possible demolition.
Adedotun Keshinro claims the NSCDC acted on three weeks of intelligence to stop a baby factory, yet Joy Okeke and Raphael Agwu operated long enough to impregnate and exploit 18 women. The payment range of N500,000 to N1.8 million per baby suggests a structured trade, raising questions about how many infants were sold before the raid. The fact that grown babies were still on negotiation shows the operation remained active despite weeks of monitoring. For the 18 rescued women, the trauma of carrying pregnancies under coercion may outlast any legal outcome for their exploiters.
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