How My Sister Sold Me With Pregnancy For N100,000 — Victim
A 23-year-old pregnant woman, Jennifer Ogbonna, raised the
emotion of people recently at Zone 2, Police Headquarters, Abeokuta,
Ogun State, when she narrated how her sister tricked her into slavery
and sold her off with her 7-month old pregnancy.
She was then transported from Aba to Abeokuta after a couple who
allegedly specialized in buying human beings from all parts of the
country paid N100,000 to her sister.
My story
The lady who hails from Ebonyi State but lived and worked in Aba
narrated her ugly experiences shortly after she was rescued by the
Police. She said: “I was brought to Abeokuta by the woman’s husband. I
don’t know that they had already paid money on my head. I only got to
know in Abeokuta when I overheard the woman and her husband talking
about child trafficking and I felt bad. I decided not to eat any of
their food. There is one lady in that building, they call her Adeola,
she would bring food for me and I would not touch it to the extent that
the woman’s husband pleaded with me to eat and still I refused and said I
am going back to Aba where she brought me from.
“When I said I was going to Aba, the man was angry and said before he
would allow me to go back, I must pay back the N100,000 he paid my
sister for myself and my pregnancy and the expenses he incurred so far
on me. After that, his wife took me to one shrine and asked me to swear
to an oath not to go back to Aba or tell anybody what happened, that if I
try to go back or tell anybody, she will make me mad; she would make me
deaf and dumb. “But, I discussed my plan to escape with another victim
who I met there, she is Oluchi and she said that if I try it I will
become mad, but, I insisted and I escaped. I ran away to the next
street. When I ran to the street, I met some people and I narrated my
experience to them. They advised me to report to the Police, that was
how police got to know everything, she stated.
Division of labour
Investigations revealed that the notorious couple who lives in
Abeokuta where they operate their illegal and nefarious business,
usually travels to many parts of the country in search of their
‘commodity’. It was further gathered that the husband, identified as
Ismail Yusuf, is in charge of scouting for pregnant women as he
reportedly went as far as Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi and other states in the
Eastern part of the country. The wife, Muyiba, was saddled with the task
of nurturing the pregnant women till they deliver of their babies for
onward sale. Crime Guard learnt also that Muyiba who is cooling her feet
at the Police station after she was arrested was reported to had come
to Abeokuta from Kwara State disguised like a herbalist and rented an
apartment at Adigbe where they use as their operational base.
According to the findings, the husband, having bought their preys
(pregnant women), would charm them on the spot and take them to their
operational base in Abeokuta where they would nurture the victims and
their pregnancies until they give birth, which they allegedly usually
sell to couples that need children or for ritual purposes. It was also
gathered that when these victims were bought, the couple would force
them to swear to an oath not to escape. They would charm them so that
they would not escape from them and people living around and security
agencies would not have any clues of what they were doing in their den.
Suspect opens up
Recalling her journey in the human trafficking business, 38-year-old
Muyiba said, “ I came to Abeokuta in January this year from Offa, Kwara
State. I used to sell baby clothes before my shop got burnt during the
crisis between Offa and Erin-Ile. I know how to prepare herbs for
diabetic patients. I am a trado-medical doctor, I registered in Kwara
State but not in Ogun State. I have treated three patients in Abeokuta
since I have been here.” When asked what she was doing with the pregnant
women she camped in her house, Muyiba claimed that “ it was their
husbands that brought them to my place, to keep them in my place. I knew
them through one Joy. Arrest How were you arrested, she said “ It all
happened when I saw police on Wednesday night banging that we should
open the door.
They came to arrest all of us. I thought my husband has run away
because I was asleep when the police came. My husband is Ismail Yusuf,
our children are in Kwara State. The police also arrested Muyiba’s
younger sister —Seun and when she was asked her role in the incident,
she passed the ball to her elder sister. According to her , I was
staying with her. I just graduated last year from School of Health in
Ilorin, Kwara state. I came to Abeokuta last month. I don’t have
anything to say, she (Muyinba) is the one that can say anything about
it.
Raid at Akute
Two weeks ago, the operatives of Nigeria Police, Ogun State Command
uncovered a baby-making factory in Akute and rescued eight pregnant
women, including a 16-year-old girl, arresting the proprietor of the
factory, Angela Chigoeze, and her brother-in-law, Obinna Ndunaga during
the raid. It was gathered that at the baby -making factory operational
base which is located at No 9, Sebanjo Crescent, Off Fabolude Bus-Stop
in Akute, a baby was often sold at N300,000 each, while the young girls
were usually offered pittance after delivery and their babies taken from
them and sold to unknown people.
Some of the victims who were rescued included three teenage pregnant
women; a-16-year-old Precious Steven, Miracle Eze and Blessing Saviour
who are both 17 years old. Also rescued were Jeremiah Gift, 25, Joy
Okoro, 20, Stella Samuel, 19; Agnes Igbo, 22 and Vivian Princewill, 20.
The proprietress of the baby factory, Angela, 39, who hails from Abia
state said that she started the business last year as a traditional
healing home, claiming that her husband, now at large, rented the
building from where the illicit business was transacted. Angela,
however, denied that the young girls were usually impregnated inside the
house, adding that the pregnant women were either brought by their
husbands or traced her address themselves.
Government reacts
Speaking on the incident, the State Commissioner for Women Affairs
and Social Development , Elizabeth Sonubi, promised that government
would continue to put in place the necessary security measures that
would continue to nip girl child trafficking and other crimes targeted
at children and women, in the bud.
The Commissioner disclosed that two of the victims had delivered two
babies – male and female at the Rehabilitation Center where the State
government takes care of them. She admonished the residents and people
of the state to be vigilant and prevent such incident across the state,
adding that people should report such incident promptly to the necessary
quarters.
Source: Vanguard
