Operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Lagos State Command, have dismantled a notorious baby factory in Okuju, Ilado, Badagry area of Lagos State, rescuing 18 pregnant women and 10 children during a night raid that ended early Thursday morning. The facility’s operators, identified as Joy Okeke and Raphael Agwu, were arrested at the scene.
According to Lagos Commandant Adedotun Keshinro, the raid followed three weeks of actionable intelligence on a big flat containing multiple rooms used to house victims. The suspects allegedly lured pregnant women via a Facebook offer, promising payment once they delivered. After birth, the babies were taken and sold to buyers while the mothers were paid off.
One victim told officials her deal was for N1 million, while another said hers was N1.8 million. Commandant Keshinro explained the scheme: “They are operating a baby factory where victims are made pregnant. When the babies are delivered, they are sold”. The victims, aged 18 to 30, were paraded Friday at the NSCDC Badagry Division office in Ibereko.
Of the 18 women rescued, 17 are currently carrying pregnancies after one suffered a miscarriage. Keshinro added that several other grown babies and infants were also at the facility, “here on negotiation to be sold to interested buyers”. Some women had arrived at the centre with children already up for sale.
The NSCDC said the building will be handed to the Lagos State Government, which may demolish it to prevent future use. The suspects will be transferred to the police for prosecution, while the rescued women and children will be handed to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, NAPTIP, for care and rehabilitation.
Commandant Keshinro stressed that the suspects “entice the victims who are pregnant to come and negotiate… when they deliver the babies, the babies will be taken from them and they’ll be paid off”. The case highlights a recurring crisis of illegal maternity homes, often called “baby factories,” where poverty and deception fuel child trafficking networks.
The Lagos bust adds to a pattern of similar raids nationwide, but the N1 million price tag and use of social media recruitment mark a disturbing escalation. For the 17 women still pregnant and the 10 children rescued, the NSCDC’s operation ended a cycle where newborns were treated as commodities.