No fewer than 17 babies and four pregnant teenagers have been rescued by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps operatives in Imo State from an orphanage home allegedly being used as a baby factory.
Speaking with newsmen in Owerri on Friday, the State Commandant, Pedro Idiba, said the command, acting on a tip-off, stormed the orphanage home, known as Jehovah Jireh, located at Orlu in Orlu Local Government Area of the state at about 9.30am on Thursday, last week.
Idiba gave the names of the teenage girls as Onyedikachi Obialor, Oluchi Uzoma, Hope Ndukwu and Ogechi Njoku, adding that a two weeks old baby, belonging to one Kasarachi, was among the babies rescued from the supposed orphanage home.
He explained that his men uncovered a 2007 expired licence of the orphanage home, alleged to have been owned by a Local Government staff member in Orlu, known as Cecelia Egemole.
Idiba said, “That place was used as an orphanage home in disguise, when the licence we saw there has since expired since 2007 and not renewed.
“The place was used as both maternity and other thing as confirmed by the girls we saw there; it was an unhealthy environment. The girls are teenagers, the oldest among them is 19.”
Also, a nanny, said to be an elder sister to the proprietress, Mrs Felicia Egemole, confessed that some of the girls came to the orphanage home to deliver their babies and left them behind.
