Nigeria: Couple Sentenced to 14 Years for Running “Baby Factory “Akure, Nigeria — The justice system in Nigeria has delivered a significant verdict in a case that has shocked the nation. Ogundeji Happiness Ayodele and Prince Ogundeji Abiodun, a couple operating what was disguised as a baby care facility in Ondo State, have been sentenced to 14 years in prison without the possibility of parole.
The facility, located at 10, rue Sarajo in Okitipupa, was actually a place of detention for underage girls who were forced to give birth, with their infants subsequently sold to buyers.
According to local reports, the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) estimates that this illegal operation had been ongoing since at least 2014, when the couple was arrested following a tip-off from the Immigration Service. During the raid, agents seized prenatal care records of the victims, eight vehicles, four million nairas in cash, two bungalows, a poultry farm, and several minors.
The couple faced ten charges under the 2003 Trafficking in Persons Law.
The trial, which began shortly after their arrest in 2014, spanned over a decade due to adjournments, changes in judges, and intermediate appeals procedures.
The Honorable F. A.
Olubanjo of the Federal High Court in Akure handed down the verdict, with each defendant sentenced to 14 years without the option of a fine.
The tribunal also ordered the forfeiture of the eight vehicles, the two bungalows, and the four million nairas, which were to be handed over to the federal government through NAPTIP. Each of the three victims who testified received one million nairas in compensation.
Commandant Comfort Agboko of NAPTIP’s Lagos zone hailed the verdict as a “historic victory “in the fight against human trafficking in Nigeria.
Officials commented on the matter.
The term “baby factory “refers to networks where pregnant women or underage girls are recruited under false pretenses of assistance or employment, only to give birth under controlled conditions with their infants being sold thereafter.
In Nigeria, similar cases have been uncovered in states such as Imo, Anambra, and Lagos in recent years.
The selling of babies ranges in price from tens to hundreds of thousands of nairas, depending on the child’s sex and health status.
The infants often end up in adoptive families without legal procedures, ritual networks, or are exploited in other forms.
This case extends beyond Nigeria’s borders, with reports of similar incidents in Ghana, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. NAPTIP collaborates with Interpol and European agencies to trace cross-border networks but acknowledges that several other such operations are likely operating in the shadows.
While the verdict is a victory, it also highlights the lengthy process involved in obtaining convictions for such crimes.
The NAPTIP and human rights organizations in Nigeria have been advocating for judicial reforms to expedite the handling of human trafficking cases. This ruling may serve as a political impetus for these much-needed reforms. Eleven years is too long; victims deserve better.
