2,500 teenagers rescued from ‘baby
factories’ in South-East
Posted by: Okodili Ndidi, Owerri
in Featured, News 5 hours ago
About 2500 teenagers have been rescued
from ‘baby factories’ across the South-East
states in the last one year. Investigations
conducted by the Campaign for Democracy
(CD)revealed that the victims, who were
majorly pregnant minors, were freed by the
Police and other security agencies from the
various illegal orphanages where they were
held captive.
According to a statement released by the
group and signed by its Chairman in the
South-East, Uzor A. Uzor, most of the girls
were enticed into the trade with monetary
offers by the ‘baby factory’ operators, while
others were forced into the infamous trade
by poverty and illiteracy.
The CD noted that within the time under
review, Abia and Imo states had the highest
number of teenagers involved in the
infamous trade.
The group attributed the increase in ‘baby
factory’ operations in the zone to high rate
of youth unemployment and poverty
occasioned by the failure of successive
governments in the zone to put adequate
measures in place to empower the youths
by creating meaningful employment.
“The rising cases of baby factory in the
South-East is a result of the failure of the
state governments in the South-East to
create jobs for the teeming youths,
especially the helpless girls who are easily
lured into the trade.
“There is no other part of the country that
has the problem of baby factory; it is a
peculiar case with the South-East.
“In Abia and Imo states, about 1,800
pregnant teenagers and babies were
rescued from ‘baby factories’ in the last 12
months and the number is still rising,” the
CD stated.
It further charged the South-East governors
to urgently fight the menace to secure the
future of the teeming youths who are
currently threatened.
“The governors in the zone should
collaborate with security operatives to fish
out those behind the trade and rehabilitate
the rescued teenagers,” CD charged.
The Imo State Commissioner of Police,
Muhammad Musa Katsina, had during a
media briefing in Owerri, the state capital,
expressed worries that the issue of ‘baby
factory’ had taken deep root in the South-
East.
According to him, “the rate is alarming in all
the states. It had been there until we began
the clampdown on the operators and we
will continue until we rid the society of this
set of people and other criminal elements.”

God help us from the hands of these people perpetrating evil o.

Some people will do anything for money. Industrious indeed. Na wah ooo

we know them for who they are

Chai! Tribalism is a disease. Look what it has turned some fellas into.

The problem with this country is sentiments and ostrich-playing. Which region does not have its fair share of evil? In any case the more compact and organised Igbo have internal checks that always expose these ills unlike other diverse and disparate regions.

Three things must be understood why the trade persists:
1. The trade is booming because of the African aversion to childless marriages. These baby factory sprang up to fill the demand for babies in marriages.

2. Igbo are 99 per cent Christians who abhor polygamy where more eligible girls would have been married off to.

3. Like other progressive climes, early marriage is discouraged in Igbo society-girls are encouraged to go to school up to university level until they are atleast 23. Those who also begin to work without marriage find out that marriage becomes more difficult so when they eventually marry at the twilight of their biological clock, they resort to adoption.

4. Poverty and collapse of value system across Nigeria (teenage pregnancy is very rampant across Nigeria). This caused most of those pregnant teens, who have disobeyed the wise counsel of their parents, to find a hiding to deliver their out-of wedlock babies.

Please leave Igbos alone, we have suffered enough in Nigeria- thanks to the God of Ndigbo. Maybe this is a way of replacing our pogrom and civil war dead. Everything negative that is happening have been orchestrated and celebrated by outsiders- their policy makers, security agencies, and media. Asap!

That's just shameful. If you're in a childless marriage, what on earth happened to the relevant adoption agencies? Why patronize such sinister people's reprehensible "business"? Anyone caught in this vile trade deserves public execution. Simply shameful!

Well, my earlier post was removed and I will say this again.
Why will a culture permit pregnant teenagers to be turned into outcasts? Rejected and ejected from home because they got pregnant while in secondary schools. What is the big deal in it? This practice puts the lives of these young girls at higher risks. The refusal to accept these girls into the society is the reason why baby factories are booming in the South East. Illiteracy level is higher in the North than South East, poverty level is also higher, then why is baby factories are not growing in the North? What is the cause my people? Definitely it is cultural practice of the Eastern people.

maasoap: Well, my earlier post was removed and I will say this again.
Why will a culture permit pregnant teenagers to be turned into outcasts? Rejected and ejected from home because they got pregnant while in secondary schools. What is the big deal in it? This practice puts the lives of these young girls at higher risks. The refusal to accept these girls into the society is the reason why baby factories are booming in the South East. Illiteracy level is higher in the North than South East, poverty level is also higher, then why is baby factories are not growing in the North? What is the cause my people? Definitely it is cultural practice of the Eastern people.

There are no baby factories my friend. What exists are illegal orphanages andd child adoption. The whole issue was blown out of proportion and termed "baby factory" as a mischief. Most of the girls are not Igbos. They are girls from all over Nigeria and beyond who want secrecy about their pregnancy because of many we cannot completely elaborate here. To reduce it, we need to legalize abortion and encourage use of condoms but the religious organizations have refused to accept this reality.

There is also something known as surrogate motherhood which another woman can be paid to bear children for a barren wife. Rumours has it that Patience Jonathan had her kids that way. All we need to do in Nigeria is to identify these issues and debate on them before signing into law acts that can regulate their code of conduct.

Abagworo:

There are no baby factories my friend. What exists are illegal orphanages andd child adoption. The whole issue was blown out of proportion and termed "baby factory" as a mischief. Most of the girls are not Igbos. They are girls from all over Nigeria and beyond who want secrecy about their pregnancy because of many we cannot completely elaborate here. To reduce it, we need to legalize abortion and encourage use of condoms but the religious organizations have refused to accept this reality.

There is also something known as surrogate motherhood which another woman can be paid to bear children for a barren wife. Rumours has it that Patience Jonathan had her kids that way. All we need to do in Nigeria is to identify these issues and debate on them before signing into law acts that can regulate their code of conduct.

May be, you should try to read more dailies and watch NTA more. These girls are being lured into these "orphanage" of yours by promising them to take care of them but once they delivered their babies, the owners would simply start to appeal to them to "sell" their babies. Some of these "orphanages" even keep young men that impregnate them after first unwanted pregnancy that led them to the place. About five days ago, police showed on tv, one of your "orphanages" where these girls are trapped forever after luring them into the compound. The fence of the so called "orphanage" was built high with broken bottles plastered on the whole surface from the base of the fence to the top just to make it impossible for for the pregnant girls to escape. One of the girls even showed her wounds to the police because she tried to escape from the house of horror after witnessing what is really going on behind the fence of the "orphanage". My dear friend, for the problem to get solved, we have to admit its existence. We can't just deny it and wish it to just magically disappear. Baby factories truly exist, and the business is really booming. In fact, some girls have come to terms with it. I hope you understand what I meant.

Kponkwem: The problem with this country is sentiments and ostrich-playing. Which region does not have its fair share of evil? In any case the more compact and organised Igbo have internal checks that always expose these ills unlike other diverse and disparate regions.

Three things must be understood why the trade persists:
1. The trade is booming because of the African aversion to childless marriages. These baby factory sprang up to fill the demand for babies in marriages.

2. Igbo are 99 per cent Christians who abhor polygamy where more eligible girls would have been married off to.

3. Like other progressive climes, early marriage is discouraged in Igbo society-girls are encouraged to go to school up to university level until they are atleast 23. Those who also begin to work without marriage find out that marriage becomes more difficult so when they eventually marry at the twilight of their biological clock, they resort to adoption.

4. Poverty and collapse of value system across Nigeria (teenage pregnancy is very rampant across Nigeria). This caused most of those pregnant teens, who have disobeyed the wise counsel of their parents, to find a hiding to deliver their out-of wedlock babies.

Please leave Igbos alone, we have suffered enough in Nigeria- thanks to the God of Ndigbo. Maybe this is a way of replacing our pogrom and civil war dead. Everything negative that is happening have been orchestrated and celebrated by outsiders- their policy makers, security agencies, and media. Asap!

How are you sure that many of these babies are not being sold outside your region? Because we have seen many cases of people outside your region involving themselves in buying of these babies. How are you sure Sir, that some of these babies are not being used for rituals? You know it, I know it, that ritualists exist from West to East to North.

maasoap: May be, you should try to read more dailies and watch NTA more. These girls are being lured into these "orphanage" of yours by promising them to take care of them but once they delivered their babies, the owners would simply start to appeal to them to "sell" their babies. Some of these "orphanages" even keep young men that impregnate them after first unwanted pregnancy that led them to the place. About five days ago, police showed on tv, one of your "orphanages" where these girls are trapped forever after luring them into the compound. The fence of the so called "orphanage" was built high with broken bottles plastered on the whole surface from the base of the fence to the top just to make it impossible for for the pregnant girls to escape. One of the girls even showed her wounds to the police because she tried to escape from the house of horror after witnessing what is really going on behind the fence of the "orphanage". My dear friend, for the problem to get solved, we have to admit its existence. We can't just deny it and wish it to just magically disappear. Baby factories truly exist, and the business is really booming. In fact, some girls have come to terms with it. I hope you understand what I meant.

That's a complete lie. The girls run away from home and look for where they can have secret delivery. Many teenage pregnant girls even throw their babies into the pit, river or refuse dump. That's a reality that the media has deliberately denied. It is wrong to make profits off these misguided teenagers but we all know that they were not lured.

abagoro:

That's a complete lie. The girls run away from home and look for where they can have secret delivery. Many teenage pregnant girls even throw their babies into the pit, river or refuse dump. That's a reality that the media has deliberately denied. It is wrong to make profits off these misguided teenagers but we all know that they were not lured.

You better admit the problem and start looking for solutions.