A 33-year-old woman, Olaide Adekunle, has been arrested for allegedly selling her infant in a desperate attempt to repay a ₦600,000 loan.
According to reports, Adekunle, a resident of Sango area in Ogun State, traveled to Lagos State with her baby girl, Mordiat Rasak, on March 15. Suspicion arose when she returned home without the child, prompting her husband to alert authorities.
Following her arrest, the suspect reportedly confessed to selling the baby to settle a debt owed to a microfinance bank. The case has since been escalated for further investigation, with efforts underway to trace and safely recover the child.
In a related development, operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Lagos State Command, uncovered a baby factory in the Okuju area of Ilado, Badagry. The operation, which spanned from Wednesday night into the early hours of Thursday, led to the rescue of 18 pregnant women and 10 children.
Two suspects, identified as Joy Okeke and Raphael Agwu, were arrested in connection with the illegal facility.
The Lagos State Commandant of the NSCDC, Adedotun Keshinro, disclosed the details during a parade of victims and suspects at the agency’s Badagry office. He noted that the operation followed three weeks of actionable intelligence.
Some of the rescued victims revealed they had been promised payments ranging from ₦1 million to ₦1.8 million as part of arrangements tied to the illicit operation.
