Rivers govt seals illegal health facilities over baby trafficking, racketeering
The Rivers State Government has sealed 21 illegal health facilities across four local government areas following an enforcement operation that uncovered suspected baby-trafficking and racketeering, arresting three…
Unregistered and poorly regulated private clinics and maternity homes have long been linked to Nigeria's "baby factory" trade, in which pregnant women and infants are trafficked, sometimes under the guise of informal adoption, fertility treatment or shelter for unwed mothers. Rivers State, like several other states in the south-south and south-east, has periodically cracked down on such facilities as part of broader efforts to curb child trafficking, illegal adoption rackets and unlicensed medical practice that fall outside the oversight of the state Ministry of Health.
The latest enforcement operation saw Rivers State authorities seal 21 health facilities across four local government areas and arrest three people, with officials citing operation without proper licensing, failure to meet minimum health standards, and suspected involvement in baby trafficking and racketeering. The coverage is consistent on the number of facilities sealed and arrests made, though details such as the identities of those arrested, the specific local government areas involved, and whether any trafficking victims were rescued have not yet been reported.