The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), yesterday paraded 18 rescued pregnant women, 10 children and two suspects at its Badagry Division in Ibereko, Badagry area of Lagos State.

The women and children were rescued on Thursday, April 16, 2026 in Ilado-Ogudu, Olorunda Local Council Development Area(LCDA), Badagry Lagos.

The woman operating the centre is being assisted by a man was operating in a building containing many rooms after moving from Ikorodu to the area.

The girls are said to have met the suspect through facebook pages such as Adoption Group in Nigeria, Abortion Group in Nigeria and Unwanted Pregnancy Group in Nigeria, negotiate and moved in to deliver with the purpose of selling the children.

State Commandant, NSCDC, Lagos State Command, Adedotun Keshinro, said the suspects entice the victims who are pregnant, have negotiations with them and take the babies and pay them off. He said the suspects sell the babies to their customers.

“We have been on their trail through actionable intelligence for the past three weeks before we arrested them on Wednesday and rescued the victims.

“We rescued 18 women with 17 of them pregnant and one had a miscarriage. There are other babies the suspects are negotiating with buyers to be sold. We were surprised t hat such operation is going on in Lagos until we started investigating to the day we ingress the building. This is human inhumanity to human.

“The suspects will be charged to court upon the conclusion of our investigations.

The operator of the centre, Joy Okeke, she said she started operating in the Badagry Centre in January 2026 after leaving Ikorodu due to space constraint.

“I came to Badagry to look for a bigger place. We adopt children for those that do not have children.”

When asked when she started opening, she said: “For some months. Only two of us operate the centre.

When asked how much she sells a child, she said: “Do I have to answer all of these? I can talk when my lawyer is here, I don’t want to talk again.”?

Another suspect, Raphael Junior Agwu, said: “Me and Mummy Favour (Joy) live like a family. I met her early last year (2025) and she took me in. She asked me to move to Lagos with my daughter who is an SS with the promise that I would get a better job.”

“I work with her as a housekeeper, run errands and I never knew it’s a crime because I see it like helping families because some of the girls said they wanted to abort and they were advised to move in with the promise that they would be cared for and their children will be adopted.

Agwu who is a 35-year-old man said agents that came for the babies also negotiate with her on Facebook.”