The Ondo State Police Command on Sunday announced the arrest of a woman identified as Ada Clement for allegedly running a baby factory in Ore, the administrative centre of Odigbo Local Government Area of the state.
According to the command’s Public Relations Officer, Mr Olayinka Ayanlade, in a statement, police operatives rescued five pregnant underage girls who were discovered at the illegal facility.
The police further revealed that the suspect sold babies for amounts starting from N400,000 for female children and N600,000 for male children. It was also disclosed that one of the victims had given birth to a baby boy inside the facility.
The statement read, “The Ondo State Police Command has uncovered a suspected baby factory and human trafficking syndicate operating within Ore, Odigbo Local Government Area of the state. The case, which was transferred from the Ore Division to the command’s Gender-Based Violence Unit, is presently under active investigation.
“The incident came to light on October 21, 2025, at about 7.30 pm, when one Vivian Peter, a 17-year-old girl from Ikot Ekpan, Akwa Ibom State, who is presently pregnant, reported at the Ore Division that she had been trafficked from Akwa Ibom to Ore under the guise of being offered a job opportunity. Upon her arrival in Ore, she was taken to a supposed clinic, which later turned out to be a baby factory, where she met other pregnant girls allegedly being held for exploitation. She further revealed that the owner of the facility, identified as one Ada Clement, later instructed that she be taken to another hospital in Ore for a medical scan. However, she managed to escape and sought refuge at the Ore Division, where she reported the incident to the police.”
The statement continued, “Acting swiftly on the report, operatives from the Ore Division in collaboration with the gender unit raided the said facility, leading to the successful rescue of five pregnant girls and a baby boy. It was discovered that one of the victims had already given birth and is presently receiving post-natal treatment at the General Hospital, Ore, while the remaining rescued victims are in safe protective custody of the police.”
The PPRO further explained that preliminary investigations had shown that the suspect, Ada Clement, and her accomplices had confessed to the offence, admitting that the premises were being used as a baby factory where young pregnant girls were housed until delivery, after which their babies were sold to people seeking children.
“It was further discovered that the babies were sold for N400,000 and above for female children, and N600,000 and above for male children,” he noted.
In response, the PPRO said that the state Commissioner of Police, Mr Adebowale Lawal, had ordered a comprehensive investigation into the matter to ensure that every member of the trafficking network was identified and brought to justice.
He added that intensive efforts were ongoing to apprehend other fleeing members of the syndicate, who are currently being pursued by detectives attached to the command’s Gender-Based Violence Unit.
