The Imo State Police Command yesterday rescued five pregnant teenagers from a ‘baby factory’ allegedly operated by one Chief Emmanuel Eke, a senior civil servant in Abia State.
The victims included a deaf and dumb girl, Miss Blessing Nwabekee
The teenagers, who were at various stages of pregnancy, were said to have been rescued in Abia State, where they were being kept until they would be delivered of the babies.
Parading the suspects, the state Police Commissioner, Austin Evbakavbokun, disclosed that one 20-year old Miss Ibuchi Okafor, from Ihioma in Orlu Local Government Area of Imo State, who absconded from her home with a nine-month old pregnancy was found in the premises of the suspect at Isiala Ngwa South, Abia State after she had delivered and sold the baby for N500 000 to a yet-to-be identified buyer.
According to the CP, the police swung into investigation after a report of the missing teenager and found four other pregnant girls- Nkasiobi Uchenna 23, Ela David 24 from Isoko in Delta State, Oluchi Victor 25, Isialangwa, Abia State and Blessing Nwabekee, all waiting to deliver their babies.
The CP disclosed that the owner of the baby factory confessed to have sold the baby delivered by Ibuchi for N500 000.
Evbakavbokun, however, assured that the state police command would not relent in its effort until child traffickers and kidnappers in the state are completely chased out.
Meanwhile, the suspect, who told journalists that he made the confession under duress, said the business belonged to his late wife, who he said passed on seven weeks ago.
According to him, “I am not a child-trafficker; I am a civil servant in Abia State. It was my late wife that was running the home where the pregnant women were found by the police. I confessed to the crime because of the torture I went through.