The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Imo says it has one Tochukwu Ogaranya, 52, alongside five pregnant women, aged between 25 and 33, in its custody for alleged child trafficking.

The command also said it rescued five newborn babies from the suspects.

The NSCDC commandant in Imo, Basil Igwebueze, said this in Owerri, the state capital, on Saturday, while briefing journalists on the command’s recent exploits.

Mr Igwebueze said the suspects, including an alleged accomplice, one Godwin Nnamdi, 47, were caught at an orphanage, where they were carrying out their illicit activities.

According to him, on March 14, one of his officers saw a pregnant teenager running away from the orphanage at the World Bank area of Owerri.

“This prompted my officers to move into action at the orphanage, arrest the owner of the orphanage and rescue the pregnant women and newborn babies,” he said.

Mr Igwebueze described child trafficking as a “heinous crime” and appealed to Imo residents to ‘say something, when they see something’.

He also advised them to always take urgent steps to report suspicious persons and activities to security agencies for prompt action.

The owner of the orphanage, Ms Ogaranya, however, claimed that her orphanage was certified and not into child trafficking as alleged.

She recalled how one 33-year-old, identified simply as Chiamaka, came into the orphanage pregnant, having allegedly escaped from the man who impregnated her in Abia.

Ms Ogaranya also said she reached out to the police, who promised to travel with Ms Chiamaka to Abia to arrest the man.

She said she was surprised when her workers called to inform her that Ms Chiamaka had scaled the compound’s fence and was later caught by the local vigilantes.

Ms Chiamaka, who hails from the Ikeduru Local Government Area of the state, said she was introduced by someone she could hardly identify to the orphanage, where she could deliver and sell the baby to the person.

She said that when she felt that she could no longer cope with the situation at the orphanage, she scaled the fence and ran away for her dear life.

Ms Igwebueze said that the suspects would be arraigned for prosecution.

(NAN)