''I Became Pregnant After Taking The Drug A Herbalist Gave Me''

A  Cameroon woman, Mrs  Ngala Norgu Julia, has been arrested by men of the Cross River State Command of the Nigerian Immigration Service, NIS, for allegedly being in  possession of a one week old  baby girl which she claimed she was delivered of by a herbalist at Okitiputa, Ondo State.

Mr Samuel Igochi, the Comptroller of  Immigration, Cross River State Command, said Ngala  who is also a lawyer, was arrested by the Intelligence and Investigation Team of the Service  at the Calabar port  while trying to smuggle the baby to Cameroon.

“She claimed a herbalist in Okitikpupa, Ondo State gave her some herbs which she took in November last year after which she got pregnant and delivered the baby but there are no signs in her that she actually delivered that baby”, Ogochi said.

According to him, a team was constituted to examine her but, after due examination,  there were no signs that she actually delivered the baby.

“Since  the 1st of  September 2013 which she gave as the date for her delivery,  her breasts were not able to produce  milk as is always the case with every birth which is quite unusual”, the NIS boss stated.
“She then said she paid the sum of N1.5 million to the woman who delivered her of the baby . Why such a whooping sum for just delivery which is not by Caesarean process?”.

He said the child would be handed over to the National Agency Against Trafficking in Persons, NATIP, for upkeep till the determination of the case since the NIS is not a baby factory. “Taking care of such a baby is very expensive and time demanding and since  the Nigerian Immigration Service is not equipped to handle such responsibility, we will hand over the child like the one we had two weeks ago to NAPTIP in  Uyo”

Ngala, who was accompanied by another Cameroonian lady,  Mrs Mende Cecila Fru, said she heard about the Okitipupa clinic assisting women to deliver children supernaturally and so she had to borrow money and came to Nigeria to  consult the woman and she was given herbal medicine which she took and and got pregant.

“When I heard that the woman was helping women without children to deliver babies, I borrowed money here and there and came to Nigeria  and she gave me herbal medicine and when I went back I met my partner and I became pregnant”.

According to her, out of the sum of N1.5 million she paid to the clinic  N277.000 was for the herbs to enable her become pregnant  while 1.2 million was for delivery of the baby. “She told me the delivery was supernatural, so I should not visit any orthodox medicine when I am about to deliver, that I should go to Okitipupa and truly when I got there, after nine days, she took me to a room  and delivered me of the baby”.

She said she was asked to lie on the floor while somebody exerted pressure on  her stomach  while she was asked to push and the baby came out and fell on the floor . “ The woman then  beat the child three times on the back and the child began to cry and I  was asked to stand up”.

Mrs Fru, who accompanied Ngala, on her part,  said she did not go inside the room where the baby was delivered but sat in the parlour and when she heard a baby cry, “They took me inside and I saw the child still  covered with blood and I was very happy for my friend for the successful delivery of her baby”.