19 pregnant teens and women rescued from suspected baby traffickers in Nigeria, police say
http://www.hrlnews.com/2019/09/19-pregnant-teens-and-women-rescued.html
Lagos, Nigeria (CNN)Nineteen
pregnant teens and women were rescued as Nigerian police busted a
suspected child trafficking ring planning to sell babies, a police
spokesman told CNN on Monday.
The
victims, ranging in age from 15 to 28, were found in different
locations in Lagos, Nigeria's largest city, in a police raid earlier
this month, police said.
Two
women accused of operating homes where the victims were found have been
arrested on suspicion of selling babies, and investigators are
searching for a prime suspect in the case, Lagos police spokesman Bala
Elkana said.
Four children also
were freed in the raid, police said. The captors also are accused of
planning to sell these children; investigators still are trying to
determine where these children came from, police said.
The two arrested suspects still were in police custody Monday.
The
pregnant teens and women are from different parts of the country. Some
said their traffickers kidnapped them, while others said they were lured
to the city by the traffickers who promised them domestic jobs, Elkana
said.
Police said some of the victims were persuaded by their traffickers to sell their babies.
"Some
were told that there is a place where babies are sold and they came
voluntarily. Some were promised jobs that turned out to be fake when
they got to the city, and the (traffickers) forced them to stay, "
Elkana told CNN.
According to
police, the traffickers were selling male babies for 500,000 naira
(around $1,378) and female babies for 300,000 naira ($827).
Police said the rescued victims will be
handed over to Nigeria's anti-trafficking agency and relevant
authorities for rehabilitation.
Authorities in Nigeria regularly bust baby-trafficking rings, commonly called "baby factories." Last year, the government said more than 162 children were rescued in several raids on illegal orphanages in the city.
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