Women now fake pregnancies with steroids to deceive husbands – Ex-NAPTIP DG
Former Director-General of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Julie Okah-Donli, has alleged that some women in Nigeria fake pregnancies with the aid of steroids before obtaining babies to deceive their husbands into believing they gave birth.
Okah-Donli made the allegation during an interview on the Kaa Truths Podcast, where she spoke about alleged fake pregnancy syndicates and baby trafficking. According to her, some women are administered steroids that make them appear heavily pregnant, while also pretending to experience common pregnancy symptoms such as morning sickness and vomiting.
She further alleged that some of the women arrange for the supposed childbirth to take place while their husbands are away or briefly absent before presenting them with a newborn. In some cases, she claimed, fake surgical procedures are carried out to create the impression that the women delivered through caesarean section.
The former NAPTIP boss linked the alleged practice to baby trafficking, arguing that some cases in which paternity tests fail may actually involve babies obtained through illegal means. She called for maternity DNA tests to complement paternity tests in suspicious cases, saying such investigations could help determine whether a woman actually gave birth to a child and expose trafficking networks.
Okah-Donli also alleged that some women falsely claim to have delivered twins, triplets or quadruplets as part of the deception. She urged greater vigilance and stronger efforts to combat baby trafficking and related crimes.
The former NAPTIP chief, however, did not provide specific evidence to substantiate the allegations during the interview, and her remarks remain claims that have not been independently verified.