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BABY FACTORY: Police arrest cleric, 16 pregnant girls

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BABY FACTORY: Police arrest cleric, 16 pregnant girls

The Rivers State Police Command has arrested a cleric, Glory Rapael for operating a baby factory in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.

Also arrested were 16 pregnant girls all under the age of 18.

They were arrested after operatives of the command raided the baby factory alongside three other people running the home for the cleric.

Briefing newsmen on Saturday, the State Commissioner of Police, Zaki Ahmed, said Raphael was engaged in child trafficking in the guise of operating a legal business.

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According to him, the police were able to get hold of the hoodlums through the efforts of the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad, State Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Department.

“Men of the Criminal intelligence and Investigation Department in a sting operation on Friday stormed the premises of one Gloria Raphael, who is the General Overseer of Mount Sinai Ministry at Rukpokwu. She is into the business of child trafficking.

“Sixteen pregnant women awaiting delivery and onward sale of the children to the waiting buyers were arrested. One of them by name Chinyere Nweke had labour yesterday (Friday) and was rushed to the police clinic where she gave birth to a baby girl,” Ahmed said.

Speaking on why she was arrested, Glory Raphael said: “There was a day my sister, Esther Joseph, called me to come and help her; that somebody was sick.

“So, they brought the girl. She brought two other girls to me and they were having discharge. I gave them to a midwife to deliver them. Some of the girls came for prayers; they have husbands.”

One of the pregnant girls, Sandra Solomon, told reporters that she was told that she could sell her baby to a church when she discovered that she was pregnant.

According to her, she followed an agent to the church because she had no person to help her through her condition.

“I became pregnant and I did not know what to do. So, a lady told me that they sell babies in that church and I came there. The woman did not tell me how much they sell. I don’t want to sell my baby. As we were sleeping in the church, police came and arrested all of us,” she added.

Another pregnant girl, 17-year-old Favour Gabriel, explained that the man that impregnated her took her to the cleric and promised to take her back as soon as she was delivered of her baby.

 

 

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