PHOTOS: 16 Pregnant Teenage Girls, Women Freed In Owerri 'Baby Factory' Raid

Nigerian police said on Wednesday that they raided a home and freed 16 pregnant girls and young women allegedly being forced to have babies to be sold.

"We carried out a raid on a residence in Owerri following an intelligence report and rescued 16 expectant mothers, The girls were between 14 and 19 years old and in different stages of pregnancy." Imo State police spokeswoman Joy Elomoko told AFP.

The male owner of the home, who was arrested, had registered it as a non-governmental organisation promoting women's and children's issues. An unlicensed automatic pump action shotgun was also recovered during the raid.

Elomoko said the rescued women and girls told officers that they were each offered 100,000 naira (632 dollars, 466 euros) to sell their babies after delivery.