Two suspected Cameroonian ladies, Ngala Nungu (47) and Mrs. Mende Cecilia (54), have been arrested by men of the Nigeria Immigration Service at the Calabar Seaport for allegedly stealing a five-day old baby girl.
The Comptroller of Immigration Service in Cross River, Barrister Samuel Igoche, told  newsmen in Calabar that Nungu claimed to have delivered the baby at Okiritukpa in Ondo State through the help of a lady who specialised in herbal medicine.
According to him, Nungu claimed to have been given herbal pregnancy drugs for a period of nine months, starting from November 2012, and her delivery period was due in August 2013.
“She was advised by her herbal doctor that she should not visit any orthodox hospital because there cannot detect the baby in her womb, because the whole process was supernatural,” he said.
He also said that, Nungu claimed that she spent N1.5m during the process, starting from when she took the drugs to the period of her delivery.
“She paid N270, 000 for drugs and N1.3m for the delivery of the baby,” he emphasised.
The Comptroller maintained that it was believed that the Ayodele maternity and herbal clinic at Okiritukpa in Ondo State was formerly located at Okigwe in Imo State.
“This herbal home operates on dubious method were there use to hand over innocent babies to women with birth challenges, making them believe that they actually gave birth to such babies,” the Comptroller said.
He said that from all indications, Nungu never gave birth to any baby, adding that the baby in her custody was from a source she cannot identify.
Reacting to the story, Nungu told our correspondent that she heard of the herbal clinic while she was in Cameroon, saying that she had to borrow money and rush to Nigeria in order to buy the drugs and get pregnant.
“I came to Nigeria, I saw the woman, I bought the drugs, I took it and after one month, I met with my husband and I was pregnant,” she stated.
According to her, she began to feel the movement of a baby inside her at the second month.
“I called the herbal doctor after five months, and she told me to start making preparations for the coming of the baby in the next four months, it was during this period that I pleaded with my friend Cecilia to get ready to accompany me to Nigeria for my delivery.
“There are so many women at that herbal clinic, women from Morocco, Ghana, Cameroon, Nigeria, prophets, doctors and others, all coming to deliver at the clinic, and I was assisted by the herbal doctor and two nurses during my delivery.
She said that she had not given birth before, adding that the baby was also fed with baby’s food because her breast had no milk and appealed to men of the Immigration Service to release her so that she can go back to her country with her 5 days old baby.
Her friend, Mrs. Mende Cecilia, corroborated her story, saying that she witnessed the delivery of Nungu (a lawyer). I heard the groan while in the parlour, and later heard the cry of a baby, and I rushed in and saw the new born baby as she was still covered with blood.
“When I entered the room, I saw Barrister Nungu still bleeding,” she said.