By DAVIES IHEAMNACHOR, Port Harcourt

The Rivers State Police Command has burst a baby factory in Port Harcourt, and recovered 24 babies and four pregnant teenagers. The babies which were recovered by operatives of the command were between the ages of one and two years.

Addressing press men while parading the suspects in Port Harcourt, yesterday, the Commissioners of Police in the state, Mustapha Dandaura, noted that the syndicate was uncovered on Tuesday around 3.30pm following an operation of Eagle Crack Unit of the Police in the state.

Dandaura, who was represented by the Command’s spokesman, Nnandi Omoni, said that the babies currently receiving medical attention at the Police clinic, adding investigations had commenced to identify other suspects at large.

He said, “Today, I am glad to inform you that operatives of the Eagle Crack in a covert operation yesterday 25/2/2020 at about 1530hrs, burst a child trafficking syndicate at Woji in Port Harcourt, where twenty four babies between the ages of one and two years and four pregnant teenagers were recovered.

“The babies and pregnant teenagers who are frail and malnourished are currently receiving medical attention at the police clinic, while investigation is still on with a view to making more recoveries and bringing the masterminds to justice.

“The command is hereby appealing to the public, particularly residents of the state who’s babies are missing to come forward for identification and collection.”

He, however, called on residents of the state whose babies were missing to avail themselves at the state Police headquarters to identity and take home their babies.

Meanwhile, the owner of the home burst by the police has denied the claim by the police that the home was a baby factory, noting that the orphanage and transition home was registered as a Non-Governmental Organization in 2018.

The lawyer the the home, Eunice Uchendu said: “Yesterday the E-Crack team came to Tenter Life Foundation Initiative and arrested the owner and others persons on wrong information that it was a baby factory, which is not true.

“It is an orphanage home. She (owner) works in collaboration with the Rivers State Ministry of Social Welfare. The ministry also gave her grant to run a similar thing at Ogoni area. This body was registered in 2018, June.” (Vanguard)

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