Thirty-five teenage girls, some of whom are still children, were raped, used as sex slaves, and forced to live in a “baby factory” where they were forced to bear children that were later sold on the black market. Knowing that such a horrible location has been closed down and the women involved have been freed. Nigerian police are being hailed as heroes for their bravery in saving these young victims.
According to the police investigation, the victims who were held in the hotel were forced to be used against their will, the operation was situated in Nigeria’s Anambra state in the country’s southeast. The police rescued the teenage females from the Gally Gally motel.
Nigerian police have previously released young women from so-called “baby factories,” which are controlled by males that enslave women and force them to bear children to be sold on the illicit market. These women have virtually little freedom in their lives and are coerced into sex slavery.
“(The criminals used these women) for sex slaves, prostitution and a baby factory,” Tochukwu Ikenga, a spokesman for the state police, said.
Police seized some guns, weapons, and cash during the raid at the Gally Gally Hotel. In addition, they also found teenage girls to be pregnant, there are four of them. Ikenga stated that although the inquiry is ongoing, the girls that were set free are being cared for.
After the terrible experience, they had to endure without their choice, they were given over to a government group that can assist in their rehabilitation. Nothing can ever take away the fear they undoubtedly experienced while residing in the baby factory, but with the correct encouragement and guidance, they might be able to find hope for a better future.
The police arrested three suspects, two men who guarded the premises, and the assistant manager of the hotel and recovered three pump action rifles, seven cartridges, and the sum of N877,500. The three suspects who were arrested were been charged with abducting teenagers, engaging in sexual slavery and prostitution as well as a charge related to the operation of a baby factory, However, the Gally Gally Hotel’s proprietor is on the run.
Ikenga said that “All suspects will be charged to court at the end of investigations.”
When questioned, the girls claimed to be from various states across the nation, including Anambra, Delta, Rivers, Enugu, Ebonyi, and Benue.
Some of them said that they were lured into the industry on the pretense of “coming to work as sales girls,” and that they were then imprisoned and detained without anyone in their family knowing where they were.
One of them, who went by the name Favour, claimed that each time they became pregnant, they were permitted to give birth, and the child was then sold.
She said, “I was lured into the business by a friend who did not tell me that we would be used as prostitutes. I was told that I was coming to work as a sales girl, only to be trapped. I came there in August, 2021, to work as a sales girl. None of us could run away because of the guards there and the heavy security around us.”
“They charged up to N1,000 per man and we used to get about 20 men that slept with us in a day, but our madam gave us N250 for meal every day.”
State Commissioner of Police, Echeng Echeng, said, “Parents should learn how to monitor the activities of their kids and the company they keep. These kids who came from different states that include Anambra, Delta, Rivers, Enugu, Ebonyi, Benue, among others, were tricked into this situation because their parents were not able to monitor the company they keep.”
Well, we can only hope that these young women will be able to get the help they require to get over this horrible ordeal. Nobody, especially kids and teenagers, should be treated this way.
The police taking action against these crooks and stopping their operations is a step in the right direction. Hopefully, this will assist in permanently ending the baby factory industry.
Sources: AWM, Macaubusiness, Timesofindia