How we were lured into ‘baby factory’ – Pregnant teenagers

Nine girls, forced into pregnancy at a ‘baby
factory’ in Imo State ,yesterday spoke of
how they became victims.
The nine were arrested by the police
yesterday after initially escaping during a
raid of the ‘baby factory’.
Their arrest brings to 26 the number of
victims rescued from Ahamefula
Motherless Babies Home, Umuaka in Njaba
Ciouncil Area of the state.
They are aged between 14 and 25.
The visibly exhausted girls told The Nation
that they were held against their wish by
the proprietor of the so-called motherless
babies home simply known as Madam One
Thousand.
The victims are all from Imo .
They said their parents were unaware of
their whereabouts.
According to them, they were taken to the
‘baby factory’ by scouts engaged by Madam
One Thousand.
The scouts include women who go about
seeking vulnerable girls.
17-year old Adaobi Akubueze ,until her
abduction a student in Lagos, said she
referred to the centre by a medical doctor
who conducted a pregnancy test on her.
She said:“The result of the test was positive
and the doctor said I should not abort the
pregnancy. He said he knew where I could
go and have the child with adequate
maternal care and where the baby would
be taken care of until I would be ready to
take charge.
“So I ran away from home without
informing my parents. But on getting to the
centre in Imo State, I was asked to produce
my letter of introduction. After that, my
phone was taken away from me and that
was how I stayed there till the Police came
and arrested us.”
She said of conditions in the centre: “We
were kept in a crowded room with little
ventilation and a doctor came once in a
while to check us. Nobody was allowed to
go beyond the first gate also known as the
Green Gate. And one boy who we referred
to as oga came around to sleep with the
girls, especially those that were not yet
pregnant.
“The compound was built in such a way
that made escape impossible. It is fenced
with high walls and no visitor was allowed
to come into the area where the girls were
kept, except Madam, Oyibo and the doctor.
“After nine months, those who were due to
be delivered were taken to another
location and Madam would only bring back
news to us that our friend had given birth.
But they never came back ”.
Another victim, Chinyere Onwuegbu, also
17, said she was living with her mother, a
widow, until she ran away with one of her
friends who convinced her that she could
make a huge amount of money if she
could be pregnant and sell the child after
delivery.
Her words: “My friend brought me here
and she told me to stay and get pregnant.
Madam promised to take good care of me
and that she would give me N60,000 if I
had a baby boy and N30,000 if it was a girl.
“ But after I was impregnated, Madam
began to force me to work hard despite
my condition. I cried everyday but no way
to escape”.
From outside, the ‘baby factory’ looks very
much like a pure water production facility.
It sits on an expansive land and is walled
round.
The main building has several rooms
secured with iron doors.
A neighbour, who volunteered information
on condition of anonymity, said: “All we
saw were people coming to buy water but
we began to express worry when we
noticed flashy cars coming to the place at
nights.”
Investigation also revealed that the owner
of the ‘baby factory’ also runs a maternity
home where the victims are taken to be
delivered of their babies.
Oyibo, who was identified by the girls as
the one who impregnated most of them,
denied that he was paid to impregnate
them.
He said: “I was employed to work in the
pure water company, but I have slept with
most of the girls but not to impregnate
them as reported.”
Who is Madam One Thousand?
It was gathered that Madam One
Thousand is no stranger to the police
having been arrested by them at least twice
before for a similar offence.
A source, who asked not to be named,
said: “If the police are serious, they can
arrest her; they know her identity. She has
been in this trade for a long time. She even
has medical doctors who work for her.
“Apart from that, since she also runs a
registered maternity home, why can’t the
police look in that direction and get her
identity from the Ministry of Health that
registered her clinic?”
Sources said she is at the head of a
syndicate that also includes doctors.
The doctors refer victims to her and get
paid accordingly.
Efforts to get the Commissioner of Police,
Mohammed Katsina, and the Police Public
Relations Officer, Joy Elemoko, to comment
on what becomes of the girls were
unsuccessful as they did not pick calls to
their handsets.
However, a reliable police source said the
girls would be handed over to the Ministry
of Women Affairs after proper
documentation for adequate medical
attention as some of them are ill.