FIVE ARRESTED IN AKWA IBOM BABY FACTORY

•Seven expectant mothers held
• Two held for ‘certificate forgery’

The police in Akwa Ibom State have arrested five people for their alleged involvement in a baby factory. Seven expectant mothers are being held.
Commissioner of Police Umar Gwadabe said the baby factory was located at 19, Nepa Line, Ikot Ekpene.

He said: “The discovery came following a tip-off that two women, Ima Akpan (35) and Mma Nurse, now at large, were operating a baby factory where seven expectant mothers were camped.
“The expectant mothers were arrested, and on interrogation, two of them– Ikwo Ofuo and Joy John– confessed that they were enticed to the business because of money.
“On delivery, a male child will be sold for N400,000. A female child costs N350,000.”
One of the teenage expectant mothers said she was impregnated by an unknown man.
She said: “I don’t know who impregnated me. I was impregnated while hawking to assist my mother.”

The police commissioner said two suspects who allegedly specialise in forging academic certificates were arrested.
Gwadabe said Ubong Udoh and Thompson Edet were arrested by detectives from Ikot Ekpene with degrees, Higher National Diploma (HND) certificates and National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) exemption certificates.

The police boss said the certificates recovered from the suspects bear different names.
He listed them as a degree certificate of Imo State University; five HND certificates of Akwa Ibom Polytechnic, Ikot; an NYSC exemption certificate, two official transcripts from Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic and two from Calabar Polytechnic.

Udoh said his late father sold forged certificates, and he continued after his death.
He said: “I was working in one of the construction companies. My late father has been doing this business. I continued with the business after his death. He died last October.”
Source: The Nation