Officers of the Nigeria Police Force, Warri Area Command have arrested three suspects over alleged child-trafficking of a two-and-half-year-old baby girl.
Those arrested included, the matron of Divine Orphanage Home, Rosemary Johnson and another Madam Rose IIogbo in Ughelli.
The third person was a lady, who allegedly bought the child at the sum of N850,000 from the aforementioned ladies.
The arrest followed a petition by the President of Nigerian Child Welfare Fund, Comrade Joshua Omorere.
Acting on the petition, Police Detectives from the Warri Area Command swung into action, effected the arrest on May 2, 2019.
The Police also discovered and exposed a baby-making factory in Agbor, Delta State during the arrest.
During the raid, a 21-year-old pregnant girl, Isioma Monday and a staff of Divine Orphanage were also arrested at the factory, which operates as an orphanage home.
Madam Rose IIogbo, who was confronted with an audio recording where she was negotiating for the child at the said sum, confessed that Juliet Phillips, who was the mastermind in a child-trafficking case earlier reported, gave her the baby to sell.
IIogbo claimed that she sold the child to one lady who had gone through adoption process at N850, 000 in Ughelli.
She also confessed that the matron of Divine Home Orphanage at Agbor gave her another child to sell for N850,000 but people that were interested were offering N800,000, stressing that the matron of Divine Orphanage insisted it must be N850,000.
She also said, “On the 5th of December, 2018 Madam Rose returned the child to Divine Home Orphanage because Police were closing on her.”
During interrogation, the pregnant lady, Isioma Monday, who was arrested with a staff of the orphanage home, separately made contradictory statements.
Isioma Monday claimed she came to visit her aunty, a staff of Divine Orphanage Home.
But the staff of the orphanage on her part said the pregnant lady, Isioma Monday, was her younger sister of the same mother.
However, Isioma Monday later opened up to the Police that she didn’t know either the staff of the orphanage or the matron, noting that she was there to give birth and sell her child.
Reacting to the arrests made so far, President of the Nigerian Child Welfare Fund, Comrade Joshua Omorere said, “Orphanages now transfer children and sell them at will.
“The Police are currently planning on how to get Juliet Phillips from the prison to make statements on this issue and tell us where she got these children from.
“Because according to the Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice in Delta State, most children in the orphanage were stolen.
“All I want is Justice and nothing less, the matter should be thoroughly investigated and charged to Court.”
