Security operatives in Anamb raided a baby factory at Umunya in Oyi Local Government Area of the state, rescuing five pregnant girls.
The facility, identified as ‘Mother and Child Hospital and Maternity located on a road along the Tansian University, Umunya was raided on Wednesday.
The Anambra State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Afam Obidike, while speaking with newsmen on Wednesday, said it was observed that the baby factory was functioning as a hospital but it was a base for child trafficking.
According to him, “We found that some hospitals that are not registered are operating in the state. We have created data that will capture the hospitals in the state so that people will be able to have quality, good healthcare.
“Unfortunately, in one of the hospitals that we came for inspection, we found out that in our data system, they were not registered. We came here to verify and look at what is happening,” he said.
“Five pregnant girls ranging from 14 to 21 years were rescued by security operatives during a raid on the facility on February 7, 2024.”
The Commissioner further noted that the facility was not registered with the State Government, adding that the seven nurses on duty ran away.
“Unfortunately, the hospital is not registered and activities are suspected to be very fraudulent. So we decided to just see the senior doctor in the hospital and all the seven nurses.
“They locked us outside. Before they opened the gate, they followed the back and ran away. Seven to eight of them ran away. We saw little girls here that are pregnant, some of them ranging from 14, 15, 16 and 21 years,” the commissioner said.