Two dozen women and babies rescued from ‘baby factory’ in Nigeria OPEC+ countries cut oil production – key questions and answers

In Nigeria, more than 20 pregnant women and two babies have been rescued from a so-called baby factory – an illegal facility used to father and sell children. The West African country’s army announced on Monday that the facility had been searched on Sunday following reports of children being sold “to criminals for ritual purposes and for child smuggling”.

21 of the 22 rescued women were pregnant. The owner of the facility in Ohafia in Abia state in the southeastern part of the country has so far fled, it was said.

So-called baby factories are repeatedly arrested in Nigeria. They are often disguised as charitable shelters for poor young women. Those seeking help are then held against their will and raped. Victims are also often unintentionally pregnant young people who run away from home and are promised shelter. The babies are later sold to gangs. Some children are believed to be smuggled abroad, others end up with buyers who kill them during sacrificial rituals. (sda/dpa)