By Amah
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A suspected baby factory operating in the World Bank axis of Owerri West Local Government Area of Imo State has been uncovered.
The rescue operation by the personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) led to the rescue of five infants and five pregnant women and the arrest of two suspects.
Also, a 52-year-old woman, Tochukwu Ogaranya, alleged to be the operator of the facility was arrested alongside a 47-year-old man, Godwin Nnamdi, described as her cousin and suspected collaborator.
The discovery was made following an unusual incident on March 14, 2026, when an officer reportedly noticed a pregnant woman attempting to escape from the premises. The development aroused suspicion and prompted security operatives to launch an investigation.
Following intelligence gathered, officers moved to the location and uncovered the alleged operation.
During the raid, five babies believed to be between one and two months old were rescued, alongside five pregnant women said to be between their mid-twenties and early thirties.
Speaking while parading the suspects at the NSCDC headquarters in Owerri, the Imo State Commandant of the corps, Basil Igwebueze, described the operation of baby factories as a serious crime and called on residents to remain vigilant.
According to him, information provided by members of the public played a key role in exposing the suspected illegal activity.
He urged citizens to cooperate with security agencies by reporting suspicious developments in their communities, stressing that such collaboration is vital to tackling organised crime.
The commandant also condemned an alleged attempt by one of the suspects to bribe officers of the corps in an effort to suppress the case.
However, the main suspect, Ogaranya, denied operating a baby factory, insisting that the facility is a registered orphanage home.
She claimed that one of the pregnant women, identified as Chiamaka, arrived at the home after fleeing from the man who impregnated her in Ngwa area of Abia State. According to her, she had contacted the police with the intention of helping the woman trace the man responsible for the pregnancy.
Ogaranya further alleged that she was later informed by staff that the young woman had jumped the fence and attempted to escape before being apprehended by vigilantes in the neighbourhood.
But Chiamaka, who said she is from Ikeduru Local Government Area of Imo State, told a different story. She alleged that she had been taken to the home by an unidentified individual with the intention that she would give birth and sell the baby.
She explained that she eventually decided to flee after concluding that she could no longer endure the situation.
Authorities say investigations are ongoing and the suspects are expected to face prosecution after the completion of inquiries.
Incidents involving so-called baby factories have periodically surfaced in parts of southern Nigeria, where criminal networks are believed to exploit vulnerable pregnant women and traffic newborns for illegal adoption or sale. Law enforcement agencies have repeatedly warned that such operations often thrive in secrecy and depend on deception or coercion.
