• Police arrest General Overseer who keeps pregnant teenagers, sells
their babies • Over 18 babies sold in a year; boys N1.5m, girls N1.1m
each
It was initially a case of a missing seven-month-old
pregnant teenager, Patience Edet Okon, who was tracked to a church
compound, Great Mercy Deliverance Ministry located at No 5 Giwa Street,
Rumuolumeni in Obi-Akpor Local Government area of Rivers State by
detectives attached to the Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT). The
church premises turned out to be a lucrative baby factory.
Patience
who has since been delivered of a baby boy sold to a childless couple
was rescued on June 17, 2020 along with six other teenagers in the
church founded by one Maureen Martins who uses part of the premises as
private maternity home.
According to investigations, Patience’s
parents who are based in Akwa Ibom had, in a petition to the IGP,
alleged that their 19-year-old daughter whom they suspected was heavily
pregnant was missing and could have gone to sell the baby.
Shocking discovery
During
the raid by the detectives, three pregnant teenagers were rescued. They
are Loveth Emmanuel, 19, who is five months pregnant and hails from
Ngor Okpalla in Imo State; the second is Chisom Emmanuel, 18, from Ohaji
Egbema in Imo State and is presently seven months pregnant. The third
is Chioma Ifeanyi from Ukwa East and five months pregnant.
Also
found in the church compound was Patience Edet Okon who was reported
missing by her parents. She had delivered and the baby sold to a couple
from Delta State. Also found in the church was another teenager who
identified herself as Favour Friday. She was caught waiting to sell her
newborn twin baby girls. She gave birth on June 14, 2020. The third
teenager, Chizaram Chukwudi from Ibeku in Abia State also had a baby boy
same day and the nurses had concluded arrangement to sell the child
before the police raid.
According to the teenagers, a woman known
as IB convinced them to come to the church and deliver their babies.
They were all found with unwanted pregnancies with no man, laying claim
to the babies.
The detectives discovered that IB who is currently
on the run normally goes to ghettos in Rivers and neigbouring states to
scout for pregnant girls. She would lure them to the church where they
would give birth. Most of the girls who are not aware of the plan would
be told that their babies died at birth while some who voluntarily came
there would be paid a paltry sum as cost of buying their babies. They
would be advised to get pregnant and come back if they need more money.
Maureen
during interrogation told the police that she has lost count of the
number of babies delivered in her church since 2019 that IB started
bringing pregnant girls. “She would simply take care of the girls and
when the babies are born, they would be sold to the highest bidder”, she
stated.
According to a police source, the detectives also
discovered about seven rooms in the church premises, used for the baby
factory business. Baby boys are sold N1.5 million while the girls go for
N1.1 million.
Police also traced and arrested a couple, Henry
and Ifeyinwa Otugbara who confessed that they paid N3.5 million for the
twins who were born by different mothers.
Over 18 babies sold since 2019
Begging
for mercy, Maureen Martins confessed to the police that she knew that
most of the women brought to her by IB were not pregnant but they were
given drugs that made their tummy to swell. “ I am the General Overseer
of Great Mercy Deliverance Ministry and mother of two. I established
this church in 2014 and it’s mainly for pregnant and expectant mothers.
They come here to pray for the fruit of the womb and successful
delivery. I am a trained nurse/midwife, so I also encourage them to
attend antenatal in my clinic which in the same compound. The name of my
clinic is Corner Stone maternity. I met IB through one Miriam who is my
customer. Miriam used to help me find children for my members who want
to adopt. It was Miriam who brought the idea of deceiving some of these
women that they are pregnant. If couples are made to believe that the
child is theirs, they will pay more. I have delivered about 15 children
for IB and two of them were given to Ifeyinwa.”
On how she
managed to deceive Ifeyinwa and her husband, Maureen claimed that she
does not know the type of drug that IB gave her. “When she came to my
clinic, her stomach was already swollen as if she was 9 months pregnant.
IB had already alerted me, so I took her through the process of
checking a woman that is pregnant. After few hours, IB put a tablet in
her vagina to induce her. Naturally, she would be having cramps like she
is in labour. It was then that I inserted my hands inside her vagina
and gave her a cut. She was not conscious so it was easy to fool her
that the bleeding was as a result of the baby. We already had a standby
babies from Favour and the Akwa Ibom girl, Patience.” The female church
General Overseer said she regrets her action and is ready to repent. She
confessed that she had been arrested before but let off the hook due to
lack of evidence. “I was arrested in the past by NAPTIP but they later
released me on bail when they couldn’t find Miriam.”
Desperate to be a dad
One
of the suspects, Henry Otugbara from Delta State lamented that it was
his desire to become a father that landed him and his wife in trouble.
“I got married in 2014 and after two years there was no sign that my
wife could conceive. We visited several hospitals and prayer houses in
search of solution. It was in our quest that my wife met one woman who
promised to take us to the final place where we will get solution. The
name of the woman is IB, that is what they call her.
“She started
giving my wife drugs and also advised me to have constant sex with her.
In less than six months, her stomach started growing big and her leg
swelling. Madam IB told us that she is pregnant and we should be
attending antenatal in her maternity home. During check up, she kept
assuring us that the pregnancy was progressing and very soon my wife
would give birth.
“They gave us a date to come that they want to
induce her into labour as the baby was ready to come out. IB gave her
something inside a bottle and she started feeling dizzy. They told me to
wait outside that the midwife would attend to her, that I should just
pray for a safe delivery.
“About two hours later, a nurse ran out
shouting that my wife has given birth to twins. I was so excited that
God decided to give me double portion of blessing.
They showed me
two newborn babies with placenta and I also noticed that my wife was
bleeding. While I was celebrating, she told me that although she was
very dizzy that she only felt pain when they spread her leg and gave her
a cut. I told her to stop arguing that God has given us twins that she
might be confused because she was unconscious. I promised her that we
will do DNA in the future and she agreed and we went home with our
babies.
“I paid N3.5 million for delivery and all medication
given. All was well till police came to our house and arrested us after
three days. They accused us of buying stolen babies. It was when we got
to the police station that we saw two young girls who admitted that the
babies were taken from them. Heaven knows that we were deceived. I
cannot deliberately spend money to buy a child that I do not know the
source. They could be the seed of notorious criminals. I was only
desperate to be called a father, that was why I fell into their trap,”
he stated.
His wife, Ifeyinwa claimed that she met IB’s agent in a
bus. “I am 36 and from Delta State. I have been married for six years
without a child. The pressure was already much on me and my husband’s
people were making mockery of him that he married an old woman. I was in
a bus going to Asaba when I heard an advert by a woman that anyone that
is barren will get solution from them through the use of herbal drug. I
collected their number and when I called, one woman who introduced
herself as IB told me that she will help change my story. She gave me
some herbal drugs and said that it will build my immune system and I
will definitely conceive. Just like a joke, in less than a month, I
started vomiting and having all the symptoms of a pregnant woman. I told
her and she asked me to continue taking the drug as the pregnancy
progresses. They told me that there was no need to go for antenatal, as
the scan will deceive me into believing that I am not pregnant.
“After
about seven months, IB called me that the baby was ready to be born. My
whole body was swollen and I actually looked like a pregnant woman.
“I
travelled to Port Harcourt to their clinic for the delivery. They gave
me a tablet and in less than 30 minutes, my whole waist was on fire. The
midwife said that I was in labour, that I should come and lie down and
push. I suddenly became unconscious, by the time I became conscious, I
saw two newborn babies by my side. I was shocked but happy because they
were two of them.”
When asked if she ever suspected fraud,
Ifeyinwa said that she did but in her own case everything was real.
“During the years that I was waiting on the lord to bless me with
children, one of the prayer ministries that I attended told me that
someone from my village was behind my problem. This was why I believed
them and refused to go for scan. I am sorry; I never meant to take any
child that does not belong to me. They deceived me.”
We thought our babies died
In
an attempt to convince the police that they knew nothing about the sale
of their babies, some of the teenagers alleged that they were deceived
into believing that Mrs. Maureen Martins and IB were operating a home
where homeless pregnant girls can run to.
According to Favour
Friday, she had no choice but to travel down to Port Harcourt with one
Precious when she realized that she was pregnant. “I am 18 and from Abia
State and I live in Aba. My boyfriend is also 18 and still lives with
his elder sister. When I discovered that I was pregnant, the pregnancy
was already five months. I managed to hide it till I was seven months;
it when I was trying to find a way out, I met Precious at a motor park.
She was the one who told me that there is a place that I can give birth
and I will be taken care of.
“As soon as I was eight months, they
told me that my baby was weak and that they needed to bring him out
early. I was induced and gave birth to a baby boy. He was alive and they
told me that it was not necessary to breastfeed him as he was weak. 24
hours later, they told me that my baby has died. It was after police
arrested us that I was told that my child was sold for N2.5 million.”
Loveth
Emmanuel on her part claimed that she decided to seek for help when her
mother threw her out of the house. “I am from Imo State and when my
boyfriend got me pregnant, my mother was so angry and threw me out of
the house. My boyfriend who is also a student in my school agreed to
marry me but his parents refused to accept me.
“They insisted
that I should go back to my mother. I was frustrated and trying to abort
the baby when one woman gave me IB’s number. They promised to take care
of me till the baby is born. I took the offer since it came free of
charge. They only said that when I deliver the family of my boyfriend
would pay the hospital bill. There are so many of us there and some
have delivered and left. I relaxed and even started attending the
church; I was heartbroken when they told me that my baby died at birth. I
was waiting to fully recover and travel back to my state when police
raided the church.”
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