NAPTIP Seals Illegal Maternity Facility in Port Harcourt

The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), alongside the Rivers State Ministry of Health, conducted an operation that resulted in sealing a residential apartment in Elelenwo, Port Harcourt, suspected of being an illegal maternity facility. This operation led to the arrest of the alleged owner and another staff member, both suspected of facilitating the trafficking and unlawful transfer of children.

NAPTIP's statement, signed by its head of Press and Public Relations, Vincent Adekoye, indicated that the operation was based on actionable intelligence regarding a network involved in the procurement and sale of children. Preliminary investigations revealed that three children were allegedly transferred to a Liberian national residing in Belgium, who arrived in Nigeria without evidence of pregnancy but took custody of the children within a month.

NAPTIP is investigating a ₦13.5 million financial transaction linked to this transfer and other activities involving the maternity facility's staff.