Ritual crime in West Africa
Posted: Wed Dec 04, 2013 3:33 am
I'm going to start dumping stories I come across from Nigeria, Ghana, Gabon and Benin here. Any other stories welcome.
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Police Smash Another Baby Factory In Imo
The Imo State Police Command, Monday [2 December 2013], smashed another baby-making factory in Egbu, near Owerri the State capital, arresting the proprietor, one Dr. James Ezuma who runs a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), and a clinic. The police also rescued 16 pregnant girls, including one whose two-hour old baby girl was sold without her knowledge.
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Our reporter observed that the 16 pregnant girls were kept in two rooms that had no windows while repulsive odour oozed out from their rooms.
Speaking with journalists after rescuing the victims, the commissioner of police said, Dr. Ezuma, ”who has been very notorious for gun-running and trafficking of human beings, was eventually apprehended at his residence by the Command Ambush Squad on Tuesday 26th November, 2013 through credible intelligence.
He said the course of his arrest, search was conducted in his premises purportedly registered as an office for an NGO, which turned out to be a baby factory, where teenage girls are encouraged to get pregnant and take home the sum of N100,000 at delivery, on the condition that they would abandon their babies who would be eventually used for purposes ranging from child trafficking to rituals.
Some of the pregnant teenage girls as they are being rescued by the police.
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He said the pregnant girls rescued in the premises of Dr. Ezuma were aged between 14 and 19 years, and that after further search was conducted, an automatic eight-loader pump action gun (which is prohibited) was found in his house. The CP stated that of major concern to his command was the fact that on November 24, 2013, one of the pregnant girls, Nnachi Chinaza from Ebonyi State, gave birth to a baby girl, who was immediately snatched away by the said Dr. Ezuma and sold to an unknown person. He said all efforts made by the police to find out the whereabout of the baby proved abortive, as according to him, the said suspect had persistently refused to lead the police to where he kept or sold the baby.
While he was not ruling out investigation, Mr. katsina said the presumption at the moment was that the said baby might have been used for ritual purposes.
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Speaking to Journalists, one of the victims whose child was snatched from her, Miss Chinaza Nnachi said she was directed to come to the place by an aunt after her boyfriend denied her pregnancy. She said amidst tears, that though she was given N100,000 after delivery, on the promise that they would train her baby, but she never knew her baby would be sold to unknown persons even without her consent.
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Other items recovered from the suspect include, 10 exotic cars of different models.
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Police Smash Another Baby Factory In Imo
The Imo State Police Command, Monday [2 December 2013], smashed another baby-making factory in Egbu, near Owerri the State capital, arresting the proprietor, one Dr. James Ezuma who runs a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), and a clinic. The police also rescued 16 pregnant girls, including one whose two-hour old baby girl was sold without her knowledge.
...
Our reporter observed that the 16 pregnant girls were kept in two rooms that had no windows while repulsive odour oozed out from their rooms.
Speaking with journalists after rescuing the victims, the commissioner of police said, Dr. Ezuma, ”who has been very notorious for gun-running and trafficking of human beings, was eventually apprehended at his residence by the Command Ambush Squad on Tuesday 26th November, 2013 through credible intelligence.
He said the course of his arrest, search was conducted in his premises purportedly registered as an office for an NGO, which turned out to be a baby factory, where teenage girls are encouraged to get pregnant and take home the sum of N100,000 at delivery, on the condition that they would abandon their babies who would be eventually used for purposes ranging from child trafficking to rituals.
Some of the pregnant teenage girls as they are being rescued by the police.
...
He said the pregnant girls rescued in the premises of Dr. Ezuma were aged between 14 and 19 years, and that after further search was conducted, an automatic eight-loader pump action gun (which is prohibited) was found in his house. The CP stated that of major concern to his command was the fact that on November 24, 2013, one of the pregnant girls, Nnachi Chinaza from Ebonyi State, gave birth to a baby girl, who was immediately snatched away by the said Dr. Ezuma and sold to an unknown person. He said all efforts made by the police to find out the whereabout of the baby proved abortive, as according to him, the said suspect had persistently refused to lead the police to where he kept or sold the baby.
While he was not ruling out investigation, Mr. katsina said the presumption at the moment was that the said baby might have been used for ritual purposes.
...
Speaking to Journalists, one of the victims whose child was snatched from her, Miss Chinaza Nnachi said she was directed to come to the place by an aunt after her boyfriend denied her pregnancy. She said amidst tears, that though she was given N100,000 after delivery, on the promise that they would train her baby, but she never knew her baby would be sold to unknown persons even without her consent.
...
Other items recovered from the suspect include, 10 exotic cars of different models.