Nigeria 'baby factory' raided in Lagos
More than 160 children have been
rescued from a "baby factory" and two unregistered orphanages in
Nigeria's main city, Lagos, an official has said.
Some of the babies and children had been sexually abused, Agboola Dabiri added.
It is not uncommon for Nigerian authorities to raid "baby factories".
In
some cases, unmarried pregnant women are promised healthcare, only for
their children to be taken away. In others, women are raped and made
pregnant.
The babies can be sold for adoption, used for child labour, trafficked to Europe for prostitution or killed for ritual purposes.
In February, Lagos police told local media they had uncovered a
case where a pregnant woman went to a private home to have her baby
delivered - only for the baby to be taken away and sold.
Speaking
after the latest raids, Mr Dabiri, the Commissioner for Youths and
Social Development in Lagos State, said 100 girls and 62 boys had been
rescued.
"The children and teenagers rescued from the 'baby
factory' and homes were placed at government-approved homes for care and
protection," he added.
In 2013, 17 pregnant teenagers and 11
babies were rescued from a house in south-eastern Imo state. The girls
said they had been raped by one man.
In 2012, a UK judge raised concerns about "desperate childless parents" being caught up in baby-selling scams in Nigeria.
There
was evidence that women were going to Nigeria seeking fertility
treatment, then being sold unwanted babies, the judge said.
BBC
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