Nigerian woman accused of smuggling baby from Nigerian baby factory into UK using fake birth story

A woman was arrested at Gatwick Airport last summer after arriving from Nigeria with a baby girl, in what has since been described by the Family Court as a case of suspected child trafficking. The woman, who had previously claimed to be pregnant before leaving the UK, was found through DNA testing not to be the biological mother of the infant.

 

BBC reported that the woman, referred to as Susan for legal reasons, had been living in West Yorkshire with her husband and children since June 2023. A careworker with leave to remain in the UK, she had told her GP she was pregnant, a claim disproven by scans and blood tests that instead revealed a tumour. Despite concerns that it could be cancerous, Susan refused treatment, insisting she was pregnant and that her babies “are always hidden” on scans.

 

In early June 2024, she travelled to Nigeria, later contacting her local hospital to claim she had given birth. Upon returning to the UK about a month later with the baby, referred to as Eleanor, she was arrested by Sussex Police on suspicion of trafficking. Although she was bailed and no active criminal investigation is currently underway, Family Court proceedings have revealed serious concerns about the circumstances surrounding the child’s arrival in the UK.

 

Initial DNA testing confirmed that neither Susan nor her husband were genetically related to Eleanor. A second test confirmed the same. Susan then claimed she had conceived through IVF using donor egg and sperm, which she said explained the lack of genetic link. She provided documentation from a Nigerian hospital to support her claim, including photos and videos allegedly showing her in labour. However, none of the images showed her face, and the credibility of the materials was challenged in court.

 

An investigation ordered by the Family Court and carried out by experienced social worker Henrietta Coker uncovered further irregularities. Ms Coker visited the Nigerian clinics where Susan claimed to have undergone IVF and given birth. Staff at the clinic said there was no record of her receiving treatment, and the letter presented as evidence was declared forged. The alleged birth facility turned out to be a small, dilapidated flat staffed by teenage girls in nurse uniforms. The doctor who signed the birth certificate admitted someone had given birth, but it was not Susan. He suggested Susan may have purchased the child and noted that impersonation in such cases was common.

 

The case has shone a spotlight on the troubling phenomenon of “baby factories” in Nigeria. According to Ms Coker, over 200 such operations, often involving kidnapped and exploited young girls forced to give birth—have been shut down in the last five years. While it remains unclear where Eleanor came from, the doctor suspected she was voluntarily given up.

 

Further scrutiny of Susan’s phone revealed text exchanges with a contact saved as “Mum oft Lagos Baby,” discussing “hospital items” and a “delivery drug” costing 3.4 million Naira, around £1,700, interpreted by the local authority as evidence of a deal to acquire a baby. The messages had been set to automatically self-destruct.

 

Family Court judge Recorder William Tyler KC concluded that Susan and her husband had fabricated a narrative to conceal the baby’s origins. He found that they had submitted false documents, misled authorities, and caused Eleanor significant emotional and psychological harm. In a final ruling, the judge declared that Susan and her husband were not the child’s parents and ordered that Eleanor be placed for adoption. He acknowledged the emotional toll the decision would have on the couple but emphasized the importance of safeguarding the child.

 

Eleanor, currently living with a foster family, is said to be well-settled and receiving appropriate care. Once adopted, she will be granted a new identity and British nationality, though her true parentage may never be known.

 

The case mirrors another in 2023 involving a baby brought into Manchester Airport by a man falsely claiming to be the father. Ms Coker, who has worked on around a dozen similar cases since the pandemic, believes child trafficking involving babies is a widespread issue not only in Africa but across the global south. She said “money is getting exchanged for children on a large scale.”

 

The UK government has acknowledged concerns about child trafficking in Nigeria. Since 2021, adoptions from the country have been restricted due to documented abuses. Past efforts to combat fraudulent claims included mandatory DNA testing for visa applications, but the practice was discontinued in 2018 following legal advice that such testing was unlawful without consent.

 

Patricia Durr, CEO of the anti-trafficking charity ECPAT, described the practice of using children in immigration fraud as particularly heinous. “Every effort must be made to prevent these egregious crimes occurring,” she said.

 

A government spokesperson reaffirmed the UK’s stance: “Falsely claiming to be the parent of a child to facilitate entry to the UK is illegal. Those found doing so will face the full force of the law.”