According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), as many as twenty-four pregnant women, 11 children have been rescued from a suspected baby factory in Calabar, Cross River State.
The rescue operation was carried out by a security outfit, Operation Akpakwu, set up by the Cross River State Government.
Two suspects were arrested in the operation.
The Officer Commanding 13 Brigade Provost, Stanley Ikepeme, on Wednesday, handed over the victims and the suspects, on behalf of the 13 Brigade Commander, Mohammed Abdullahi, a brigadier-general, to the officials of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP).
Mr Ikepeme, a major, said the Nigerian Army would not relent in its task of ensuring peace and security in Cross River State.
A NAPTIP official, Oba Jacobs, who received the victims and suspects, said the suspects would be investigated and charged to court.
Mr Jacobs urged the public to keep an eye on their neighbours and report suspicious activities to the agency for “proper action”.
“As an agency, we have the mandate to arrest and prosecute.
“We also urge the public to assist us with useful information that would lead to the arrest of this category of people involved in this kind of racket,” Mr Jacob said.
He said the agency has a facility in Calabar where suspects would be kept until an investigation is conducted and those found wanting made to face the law.
One of the suspects, who is alleged to be the owner of the baby factory, Fidelia Daniel, denied knowledge of the factory.
A teenager, Stella John, alleged to be five months pregnant, said she was introduced to the place by a friend, whose name she refused to mention.
She, however, disclosed she used to receive N2,000 weekly for her upkeep, while she was staying in the baby factory.
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