NSCDC rescues 19 pregnant girls from baby factory in Abia

The Abia State command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has rescued 19 teenage pregnant girls while raiding a baby factory  at Umunkpeyi in Isiala Ngwa South Local Government Area of the state .

The state Commandant of NSCDC, Andy Dateer, who paraded the girls and some workers in the factory, said they got information about a home where teenage pregnant girls, who were less privileged, were kept until they delivered and their babies sold to willing buyers.

He said the factory, Nma Charity and Motherless Babies’ Home, whose owner was at large, brought in men  to impregnate the girls and the babies were sold while a token was given to the helpless mothers.Continue...

Dateer said his men raided the home  yesterday morning and rescued the 19 girls,  with three babies  aged  twoyears who were waiting  to be sold to prospective buyers . He also said four female workers of the factory   and five  men were also arrested during the raid.

He told newsmen that he decided to parade the rescued girls and the suspects, “to tell the people of Abia State that such evil practice still exists in the state,” adding that  since the state is ‘God’s own state,’ such  practice should not be witnessed there.

He explained  that though the raiding of baby factory was not within his operational sphere, “it is part of security work which we do, I have called the police, Women Affairs Department, office of her excellency and the governor to tell them about the development.”

He said  he would handover the rescued girls and suspects to the appropriate authorities, adding: “But we are going to monitor their repatriation to their different homes to be sure that they are taken to their  homes and to appeal to their parents to take them back without any fuss.”

According to him, one of the pregnant girls is in a bad condition  has been taken to the hospital for medical

attention . He  wondered how people who claim to be charity people will have such sick person in their midst without medical attention.

He said that the girls told him that they had not been fed for the past two days, “Bu I have made arrangement for them to be fed and I am calling on the state government to come to their rescue by taking them to a better place before returning them to their parents.

Dateer said that 15 out of the 19 girls  come from various parts of the state while the remaining come from neighboring states .

He called on parents to stop the habit of chasing their children away when they get pregnant accidentally since  such will lead them to such places like that .