Nigerian Law Enforcement successfully raid another human trafficking syndicate facility, rescuing mothers and their children.
On Tuesday the 25th of February, 2020, Nigerian police rescued 24 babies, their mothers, and four more pregnant teenage girls from a human trafficking "baby factory" syndicate facility in Port Harcourt, according to Courthouse News.
It is still unknown who or what organization is responsible for setting up the illegal facility but officials are actively investigating all leads.
Reuters News India reports that three individuals were arrested during the raid. The children rescued were between the ages of 1-4.
Child trafficking is a major human rights crime that is actively being tackled by the Nigerian government and its law enforcement.
Trafficking syndicates frequently set up illegal fronts of healthcare clinics and maternity homes to lure women, rape them, and hold the women hostage until they give birth (or longer to continue to be impregnated and raise babies to toddlerhood). The children are then eventually sold on the black market. Some already pregnant women voluntarily visit these "baby factories" to sell their babies in exchange for money, choosing to become human traffickers themselves.
According to police data about previous raids and rescues, baby boys sell on the black market for approximately 500,000 naira ($1,400 USD) while baby girls are sold for about $3,000 naira ($800 USD).