Operators of baby factory risk 10 years imprisonment

Henceforth, operators of baby factories, racketeering with human pregnancy and those involved in sale of new born baby across the country on conviction by Court of any competent jurisdiction will be subjected to 10 years imprisonment.

The punitive measure was contained in the bill for an Act to amend “trafficking in persons (Prohibition) law enforcement and administration Act No. 28 of 2005 to prohibit racketeering with human pregnancy or operation of baby prosecution factory, harbouring or pregnancy persons under the age of 18 and above or selling or attempting to sell new born baby and for related matters, 2016.”

Section 2 of the amendment bill seeks to amend section 25(a) of the principal Act provides that a person who “operates a baby care centre, institution or surrogate home that is not registered with appropriate Government institution, or unlawfully takes custody or secures custody of a baby or female perosn, commits an offence and is liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term not below 2 years or a fine of N1,000,000 or both.

Section 25(2) also provides that any person who ” unlawfully takes, entices, or habours any pregnant woman out of the custody of her parents or guardians for the purpose of racketeering with such pregnancy, or willingly, sell or attempts to sell a baby, commits an offence and is liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term not below 10 years.”

Enitan Badru, sponsor of the bill explained that the intent of the bill is to bring to book through severe penalties, perpetuators of the obnoxious Act of racketeering with human pregnancy, operators of baby production factory, persons habouring pregnant persons under the age of 18 including pregnant adults and persons seeking or attempting to sell a new born baby.

He added that the piece of legislation also seeks to impose punitive measures on operators of any illegal baby care centre, institution and surrogate home that is not registered with any appropriate Government institution.

Badru who expressed displeasure of the incessant cases of baby production factory across the country, lamented over the activities of “gangs of racketeers who operate homes or baby production factories where women, young ladies and even teenagers are held captive to be impregnated by male members of the racket with sole purpose of giving birth to babies, also purported to facilitate pregnancy for women who are desperately looking for a child.

“The most dangerous and disheartening aspect of it, is that, those babies are sold illegally to childless couples, or into slavery or for rituals. Some of these babies are sold for as much as $5,000 to $6,000 for a baby girl and $7,000 to $8,000 for a baby boy and up to $10,000 for twins.”

According to him, majority of these women or ladies are even forbidden from leaving the baby factory for risk of being exposed! Such baby factories are discovered daily by Nigerian Police Force, especially in the Eastern part of the country.”

The lawmaker who frowned at the spate of illicit business activity usually carried out by organised crime syndicates who perpetuate the heinous crime, added there are a number of so called homes where girls between the ages of 15 – 18 are recruited or kidnapped against their will to donated their eggs which are used to help childless couples achieve conception.

Badru maintained that “these girls are taken advantage of by being paid paltry sums to harvest their eggs after hyper stimulation which is a dangerous medical procedure with many futuristic implications.

“Sometime ago when the police raided one of these baby factories, two of the teenage ladies Rescued, claimed they were kidnapped against their will and they have been living there for two years. and one of them said that was her second baby in two years.”