The 14 Brigade of the Nigerian Army, Ohafia, conducted a raid on a baby factory in Umunkpei Nvosi, located in the Isiala-Ngwa Local Government Area of Abia State.
News About Nigeria gathered that the facility was operated by a local resident, and targeted due to suspicions of illegal activities taking place.
Upon arrival of troops at the premises, 22 women were successfully rescued among whom 21 were pregnant, and two babies—a boy and a girl.
Additionally, several items were discovered during the operation, including a Tiger generator, a stretcher, a gas cylinder, a bag of rice, four cartons of tin tomatoes, five liters of vegetable oil, and two bags of garri along with soup ingredients.
The decision to raid the baby factory was based on an intelligence report that the owner was involved in selling babies to criminal agents for ritual purposes and child trafficking.
The reports also stated that the woman’s activities were causing disturbances in the area, with occasional sightings of human remains near the premises.
The owner of the baby factory managed to evade capture and is currently at large, although efforts are underway to apprehend her. However, one individual identified as Katherine Oyechi Ngwanma, a 34-year-old chef at the facility, was arrested by the troops.
The pregnant women and babies have been handed over to the Abia State Government for appropriate action. Attempts to reach the new Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Chinaka Maureen, for comment, were unsuccessful.
The operation was led by Lt Omale Innocent Prince, the Army Public Relations Officer of the 14 Brigade Ohafia, and Mr Ferdinand Ekeoma, the Media Adviser to Governor Alex Otti.
In a post-operation interview, Ekeoma praised the military for their decisive action and emphasized that such incidents should never occur in any part of Abia State.
He assured the public that Governor Alex Otti’s administration would take necessary measures to cleanse the state of such activities. The government, in collaboration with security agencies, plans to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter, ensuring that such incidents are prevented from occurring in the future.
