Former NAPTIP DG Alleges Women Are Faking Pregnancies With Steroid Injections to Obtain Trafficked Babies

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Former Director-General of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Julie Okah-Donli, has alleged that some women are resorting to elaborate schemes to fake pregnancies, including the use of steroid injections, before allegedly obtaining trafficked babies and presenting them to their husbands as their biological children.

The claims, made during an interview on the Kaa Truths Podcast, resurfaced online on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, triggering widespread reactions across social media and reigniting conversations about child trafficking, illegal baby factories, and paternity disputes in Nigeria.

Drawing from her experience as head of Nigeria’s anti-human trafficking agency, Okah-Donli alleged that the scheme involves medical manipulation, staged pregnancy symptoms, and illegal baby trafficking networks.

According to her, some women allegedly receive steroid injections that cause physical changes resembling pregnancy.

“They are injected with steroids. So when they inject them with these steroids, it gives them the semblance of a pregnant woman. Their faces are bloated up, and their tummies are actually very big. They look pregnant, but they are not pregnant,” she said.

Okah-Donli further claimed that the women allegedly act out common pregnancy symptoms, including morning sickness, vomiting, and fatigue, to convince their husbands that they are expecting a child.

She alleged that when the supposed delivery date arrives, husbands are sometimes sent away on errands or business trips before returning home to find a newborn baby, allegedly sourced through illegal baby trafficking networks.

According to her, some women even undergo surgical procedures to create scars resembling those from caesarean section deliveries in an effort to make the deception more convincing.

“They actually do open them up to make it look like they had a CS. That’s how desperate these guys are. They stitch them back up,” she alleged.

Okah-Donli also claimed that some of the alleged perpetrators report giving birth to twins, triplets, or quadruplets because it allows them to obtain multiple babies in a single transaction.

Speaking on the increasing number of paternity disputes, she said many men who request DNA tests often discover they are not the biological fathers of the children. However, she argued that maternity testing is rarely considered, even though it could reveal whether the woman actually gave birth and potentially expose baby trafficking.

“The man is thinking this woman cheated on me, whereas the woman bought the baby. So it’s not even the mother. You can have the maternity test to be sure that this woman is not the mother of the baby, and then you begin to investigate where the baby came from,” she said.

Nigeria has recorded numerous cases involving illegal maternity homes and baby trafficking syndicates over the years, with NAPTIP regularly conducting raids and rescuing victims from such facilities.

However, while Okah-Donli’s comments have generated significant public interest, her allegations regarding the use of steroid injections to fake pregnancies have not been independently verified as a widespread practice. She did not cite specific ongoing investigations or statistical evidence during the podcast interview.

Medical experts note that corticosteroids can cause side effects such as facial swelling, fluid retention, and abdominal bloating, which may superficially resemble pregnancy. However, they stress that such medications cannot replicate pregnancy and carry significant health risks if misused.

The interview has sparked mixed reactions online, with many Nigerians expressing shock and concern over the allegations, while others have called for stronger efforts to combat baby trafficking and greater public awareness of illegal adoption and child trafficking schemes.

Authorities continue to encourage anyone with credible information about child trafficking, illegal maternity homes, or related crimes to report such cases to NAPTIP or other relevant security agencies for investigation.