Lagos rescues 7 women, 3 babies from Togolese birth attendant

Following the expiration of the two week  ultimatum  given to operators of illegal homes and orphanages in Lagos State, the enforcement team of the State Ministry  of Youth and Social Development yesterday  arrested a woman allegedly harbouring pregnant women illegally under the  guise of operating a traditional birth  maternity.

Officials of the ministry, escorted by 20  policemen from the Ajah Police Station and Area ‘J’  police Command, stormed the area at Baboon Village, Ajele.

Youth and Social  Development, Commissioner  Agboola Dabiri said the suspect  was arrested alongside a pregnant woman, three  babies and six  other women.

She  denied operating a home where children are  sold. Dabiri said the ministry was tipped off  that the suspect “keeps  young girls and ladies for the purpose of producing babies who would be sold out.”

He added:”With the help of the police, we were able  to apprehend the owner of the place identified as Bankole Regina, six other middle-aged women and three babies who were  also rescued.

“Two of the babies rescued were discovered to  be critically ill.In fact one of the babies is at the point of death.

“As we speak, we have taken over the babies in one  of our homes.The sick ones are being attended to in the hospital while the adults have been handed over to the  police for further interrogation and likely  prosecution.

“Illegal homes pose  a great risk to our state.They breed prostitution and  transmission of different diseases among others.”

The suspect said she had been operating the traditional birth maternity for over  30 years. She claimed  that the babies rescued from her were  abandoned by their mothers after delivery under the pretence of going home to take their delivery kits.

Bankole also said she registered with the Eti-Osa  Local Government as a traditional birth attendant and that she was about preparing to take a course in traditional  birth attendance .

She said one of the three babies recovered from  her place was her child and that the other two belonged to  someone else kept in her custody.