A Busted Baby Factory
Indigenes of Arondizuogu in Ideato North Local Government Area of Imo State are still hiding their faces in shame, two weeks after one of their brothers, James Ezuma, was apprehended by the police for gunrunning, child trafficking and rituals. Ezuma, 57, had claimed to be a medical doctor.
A recent investigation into child trafficking had led the police to Ezuma’s residence, which doubled as an office for ‘Ezuma Women and Children Right Initiative’, a purportedly registered nongovernmental organisation. During a search conducted in the premises by the police,16 pregnant girls between the ages of 14 and 19 were found.
The ‘NGO,’ which was in a fenced compound surrounded by bushes and uncompleted buildings, turned out to be a suspected baby factory. The teenage girls said they were encouraged to get pregnant and take home the sum of N100, 000 at delivery, on the condition that they would abandon their babies who are eventually used for purposes ranging from child trafficking to rituals.
The girls tell their stories
One of the girls, Chinaza Nnachi, 19, said she had come to the ‘NGO’ because of her baby.
Speaking in impeccable English, Nnachi said, “I got pregnant and the guy responsible denied it. Someone directed me to come here that they would take care of me and the baby.
“When I got here, the doctor (Dr. Ezuma) said the baby would be taken care of. I eventually gave birth to a bouncing baby girl at Ezuma Private Hospital.
“The baby was taken away from me and I got to know through one of the staff here that it was sold. Ezuma later came and gave me N100, 000 and without any explanation.”
She noted, “I didn’t agree that the baby should be sold out. I am crying because the baby was sold out without my consent. When I got pregnant, I came here to stay so that when I eventually deliver, the baby could be showered with care.
“It all started because I was pregnant and stranded, so one aunty directed me to this place. She said she would take care of us till we deliver.
“She said if I delivered the baby, I would balance her. But she did not tell me how much and now I am seeing the opposite and the disappearance of my baby is already making me die slowly.”
She added, “I was not comfortable with the whole drama and that was why I used one of the staff to reach out to the police.”
The story is not so different with Blessing Ubbah. She said, “I was two months pregnant when I came here. I met one aunty who said I would carry the baby and balance her some money when I eventually deliver.”
She said, “We were about eight persons and kept in one room at the Ezuma hospital or NGO.
“If the police hadn’t waded in before I delivered, I guess my case would have gone the way of Chinaza (Nnachi).”