By Patrick Ochei
Delta State Command of the Nigeria Police Force is making arrangements to hand over the three pregnant ladies rescued from a baby manufacturing factory at Okpanam community in Oshimili North Local Government Area of Delta State to the Government of Delta State through the Ministry of Women Affairs and Delta State Child’s Rights Implementation Committee.
This was made known after the press briefing of the Commissioner of Police, CP Ari Mohammed Ali on 18th July, 2022, where suspects including the three rescued women from the baby factory were paraded alongside other suspects arrested in connection with various crimes and criminality.
The Police Commissioner said that acting on credible intelligence that there was a baby factory located somewhere at Obodogba in Okpanam community, the operatives of the State Investigative Department stormed the area on the 10th of July, 2022, where they rescued three pregnant women and arrested two suspects, namely; Promise Ejogu who is a brother to the ring leader of the syndicate group and Aruna Suleiman who is a security guard in the compound.
The ring leader of the syndicate group who engages the women in sexual activities to get them pregnant and thereafter, sell the babies for pecuniary gains is currently at large while his 25 year old brother who watches over the women for him was arrested.
The security guard, also an okada rider in town, who appears innocent was made complicit for feigning ignorance to the activities of the syndicate group by not alerting the police or the landlord of the clandestine activities of his tenants after about one year living with them in the compound.
While investigations and efforts to arrest the fleeing ring leader are still on, the Secretary of Delta NUJ and member of the State Child’s Rights Implementation Committee, Comrade Patrick Ochei engaged the Commissioner of Police after the press conference on what needs to be done for the safety of the women and the children in their wombs who are innocent.
Right there and then, the CP ordered the DC SCID to write to the appropriate government authorities to release the women to them for safe keeping, pending deliveries.
Working in synergy within the Police Headquarters, the duo of Comrade Patrick Ochei and former Commissioner for Humanitarian and Community Support Services, Barr. Bridget Anyafulu made contacts and secured a Christian orphanage where the three women will be kept and nurtured until deliveries.
This effort was borne out of the fact that the Delta State Child’s Rights Law frowns at abuse and inhuman treatments of children from 0 to 18 years, and therefore committed to ensuring the proper care and development of any child born and living in Delta State.
It is also instructive to note that the women were trafficked to Delta State where their phones were destroyed to bar any access to them from their family members before they were subjected to making babies for their master.
While efforts are also on to locate their families for possible reunion after their safe deliveries in a conducive environment other than Police cell, the Police had equally promised to rid the State of all forms of human trafficking, gender based violence and child abuses.
