The house of representatives has read for a second time a bill for an act to amend Trafficking in Persons (prohibition) law enforcement and administration act of 2005 seeking severe penalties against baby factory operators.

Sponsor of the bill, Hon. Enitan Dolapo Badru in his lead debate said the bill intended to prescribe punishment for those involved in the obnoxious act of racketeering with human pregnancy, operation of baby production factory, persons harbouring pregnant persons under the age of 18 including pregnant adults and, persons selling or attempting to attempting to sell a new born baby.

Badru observed that the criminal dimension was contemporary in most states of the federation where the racketeers operate homes where women, young ladies and even teenagers are held captive and impregnated by recruited male members for purposes of giving birth to babies for sale.

According to him, the illegal baby production factories, it was uncovered to be facilitating pregnancy for women desperately looking for a child.

“This selfish aim was said to be unlawfully achieved by luring some girls between the ages of 15-18 teenagers with paltry sums of money to harvest their eggs after hyper stimulation which is a dangerous medical procedure with many implications.

“However, not only are the hapless babies illegally sold to childless couples but suspected ritualists and into slavery for $5,000 to $6,000 for a baby girl and $7,000 to $8,000 for a boy and up to $10,000 for twins.”