Nine pregnant women were rescued by operatives of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) from a baby factory in the Ushafa area of the Federal Capital Territory.
Mr. Vincent Adekoye, Press Officer at NAPTIP, confirmed the rescue in a statement to journalists on Thursday in Abuja.
Adekoye explained that the raid followed a tip-off from a concerned citizen. The women had been locked in an apartment within the estate by an unidentified suspected trafficking agent after being recruited through an online platform.
In the same statement, Adekoye highlighted that NAPTIP’s Director-General, Hajia Binta Adamu-Bello, had praised the judiciary for the landmark conviction and sentencing of Bishop Kenneth Duke, who had been found guilty of raping a 12-year-old girl, the daughter of one of his church members in Abuja.
The Director-General expressed that the judgment would serve as a warning to others, reiterating that the agency would not tolerate violations of its laws.
“Like I warned a few weeks ago, NAPTIP will not spare anyone found to have violated any of the laws, whether on human trafficking or violence against persons. Rape is a serious crime with everlasting psychological effects and lasting trauma on the victim. We must all rise to say no to this heinous crime and ensure the protection of our children,” she said.
“How can you imagine a 52-year-old man violating a 12-year-old girl? It is painful and criminal. I am relieved that the judiciary has served the convict the commensurate punishment,” she added.
(NAN)
