The International Federation Of Women Lawyers (FIDA), Rivers State, has criticized the Rivers State police command for the poor handling victims arrested in connection with child trafficking and baby factory over to a church, rather than charging them to court.
The chairperson of FIDA, Port Harcourt branch, Anthonia Osadebe, during a chat with newsmen lamented that in spite of efforts made by FIDA to get the suspects arrested, the police merely simplified the offence by handing the suspects over to a church.
According to her “With the aid of the police, we were able to get all these people arrested and they are now still in the custody of police.
“We are now asking, calling on the police, appealing, calling on the CP to please fasten and conclude the investigation on this child trafficking and charge the culprits to court.
“We are also calling on the police to hand over these pregnant women and the born children, which are supposed to be in their custody to the appropriate body which is the Ministry of Social Welfare, because we learned from a reliable source that these 16 pregnant women who were supposed to be in the custody of police has been handed over to OPM church and we are not satisfied with that.”
One of the women who lost her babies to child trafficking, Blessing Elechi told newsmen that she had a set of twins but they were taken away by suspected child traffickers.
She said that she gave birth while still in the hands of the child trafficker. She said that although she was aware of being pregnant, she didn’t know she was in labour when labour started because an injection which according to her, made her feel and act in an insane manner had been given to her.
She said she didn’t get to see the children as they were taken away immediately after birth, but she is aware she had twins because she heard the doctor say it but he didn’t say the sex of the children.
She said that she doesn’t know doesn’t know if they are both boys, girls or a boy and a girl.
