Police uncover baby factory involved in child sale in Ondo

The Ondo State Police Command says it has uncovered a suspected baby factory and human trafficking syndicate operating within Ore, Odigbo Local Government Area of the state.

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The police spokesperson, Olayinka Ayanlade, said this in a statement on Sunday.

He said the case, transferred from the Ore Division to the Command’s Gender-Based Violence Unit, is under active investigation.

“The incident came to light on the 21st of October, 2025, at about 1950hrs, when one Vivian Peter, a 17-year-old girl from Ikot Ekpan, Akwa Ibom State, who is presently pregnant, reported at Ore Division that she had been trafficked from Akwa Ibom to Ore under the guise of being offered a job opportunity,” the statement read.

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“Upon her arrival in Ore, she was taken to a supposed clinic, which later turned out to be a baby factory, where she met other pregnant girls allegedly being held for exploitation.

“She further revealed that the owner of the facility, identified as one Ada Clement ‘F’, later instructed that she be taken to another hospital in Ore for a medical scan. However, she escaped and sought refuge at Ore Division, where she reported the incident to the police.”

Mr Ayanlade said the police, acting swiftly on the report, police operatives from Ore Division, in collaboration with the Gender Unit, raided the said facility, leading to the successful rescue of five pregnant girls and a baby boy.

“It was discovered that one of the victims had already given birth and is presently receiving post-natal treatment at the General Hospital, Ore, while the remaining rescued victims are in safe protective custody of the Police,” he further said.

According to the police, preliminary investigation revealed that the prime suspect, Ada Clement, and her accomplices have confessed to the crime, admitting that the facility was being used as a baby factory, where young pregnant girls were kept until they delivered, after which their babies were sold to individuals seeking children.

Mr Ayanlade further revealed that the babies were sold for ₦400,000 and above for female children, and ₦600,000 and above for male children, respectively.

“The Commissioner of Police, CP Adebowale Lawal, psc(+), mnips, has ordered a comprehensive and discreet investigation into the case to ensure that all members of the trafficking ring are apprehended and prosecuted accordingly,” the statement said.

The statement noted that frantic efforts are ongoing to arrest other fleeing members of the syndicate, who are currently being trailed by detectives from the command’s Gender-Based Violence Unit.

Meanwhile, the command also announced the smashing of a kidnapping gang notorious for terrorising travellers along major highways in the South-west.

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Mr Ayanlade said one Abdullahi Ibrahim, aged 20, and resident in Ore, was apprehended by officers of the Command following credible intelligence.

“Upon interrogation, the suspect made a confessional statement admitting to being part of a kidnapping gang responsible for several abductions along the Benin–Ore Expressway as well as other criminal activities on the Sagamu–Lagos Expressway,” he said.

“He further confessed that the gang’s operations cut across several states in the southern region of Nigeria, operating strategically along state lines to evade detection.

“His confession provided valuable leads that guided operatives of the State Anti-Kidnapping Section (SAKS), Akure, to Benin City, Edo State, where two additional suspects linked to the syndicate were arrested.”

He said the suspects are currently in custody and assisting investigators with information aimed at tracking down other members of the gang believed to be operating between Lagos and Edo States.