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According to the investigation, these women are told not to consult with legitimate medical practitioners, as the standard tests cannot reveal the “baby,” allegedly growing outside the womb.
The scam behind Nigeria’s fake fertility treatments. (Representative Image)
A fertility scam, which targets vulnerable women through fake pregnancies, has been busted in Nigeria. This shocking scam was recently exposed by BBC Africa Eye in Anambra State whereby several illegitimate clinics defraud desperate women through false pregnancies and baby trafficking. This plot targets women who are seeking ways to get pregnant, offering them “miracle fertility treatments” for hundreds of dollars.
Scammers disguise themselves as doctors and other healthcare workers, tricking women into believing that they can be pregnant instantly by administering unproven treatments, most of which include some unknown shots and potions. Several victims are reported to have complained of symptoms that make them think they are pregnant such as being unable to fit into their preferred pants due to swollen bellies. According to the investigation, these women are told not to consult with legitimate medical practitioners, as the standard tests cannot reveal the “baby,” allegedly growing outside the womb.
In one of the harrowing stories, a woman identified as Chioma told BBC that she had “carried” her child for about 15 months. During the time of delivery, women are told that they must buy what has been described as a “rare and expensive drug” to induce labour. Some of them are anesthetized throughout this process and wake up with stitches thinking that they have delivered. Several victims have claimed they are injected with substances that cause hallucinations during what they are made to believe is labour.
According to one unsettling narrative, a woman was directed to push during her “delivery” and received an injection in the waist. The BBC reported that she described the birthing procedure as extremely painful, but she did not elaborate on how she got the child, Hope.
State health officials discovered even more troubling activities during a raid on one of these facilities. The probe showed that these clinics confine women against their consent, forcing them to sell their newborns. During a crackdown by state health officials, several women were reported to be living in deplorable conditions including teenage girls as young as 17. The scammers kidnap these women and tell them they are going to receive the baby they “delivered” only to discover that they have been trafficked.
The already disturbed situation is further aggravated by the societal pressure in Nigeria – a country that ranks highest in birth rate in the world. Childless women suffer stigma in society making them seek desperate solutions such as fraudulent clinics.
Since the details of this fraud emerged, the health authorities in Anambra State have started cordoning off such outlets. Commissioner Ify Obinabo has called for regulators to increase their scrutiny of fertility treatments. Obinabo also declared the need for societal change in the general perception of women’s reproductive decisions.
