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| Four children were rescued along with 19 women |
Nigerian police have freed 19 pregnant
women from properties in Lagos, which they describe as "baby
factories".
Most of the women had been abducted
"for the purpose of getting them pregnant and selling the babies", a
police statement said.
Two women who operated as untrained nurses
have been arrested but the main suspect is on the run.
Police said that male babies would be sold
for $1,400 (£1,100) and the females for $830.
They added that the children were to be
trafficked, but it was not clear who or where the potential buyers were.
Stories of these so-called "baby
factories" are not uncommon in Nigeria. There have been several raids in
the past including one last year when 160
children were rescued.
This time four children were rescued.
Image captionThe women travelled to Lagos after being
told they had jobs as domestic workers
What happened to the women?
The rescued girls and women, aged between
15 and 28, had been lured to Lagos, Nigeria's largest city, from different parts
of the country with the promise of employment.
But they were then held in the properties
and raped.
"[A] woman came to pick me at the
[bus] park and brought me here," one
of those rescued told the Vanguard newspaper.
"The next day, I was summoned by our
madam, who told me that I would not leave the premises until next year,"
she is quoted as saying.
"So far, I have slept with seven
different men before I discovered I was pregnant. I was told that after
delivery, I would be paid handsomely."
Another victim told the BBC that she was
held against her will and prevented from leaving when she discovered her baby
was going to be sold. Another said that her phone and money were taken from her
and she was told she could not leave the home to seek medical help despite her
condition.
The women and children have now been
rehoused and are being rehabilitated, the police said.
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