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BBC

Nigeria's fertility scam: ‘Pregnant’ for 15 months

BBC
Summary
Nutrition label

59% Informative

Scam preying on women desperate to become mothers involves trafficking of babies.

Nigeria has one of the highest birth rates in the world.

Women often face social pressure to conceive and ostracisation if they cannot.

Scam involves 'Dr Ruth ' offering unconventional treatment’ for women.

Scammers prey on vulnerable women in Nigeria to source the babies, says Anambra state health ministry.

Scam is a recognised medical phenomenon, in which a woman is unaware of her pregnancy until the late stages.

The BBC found widespread misinformation in Facebook groups and pages about this type of pregnancy.

VR Score

37

Informative language

21

Neutral language

50

Article tone

informal

Language

English

Language complexity

45

Offensive language

likely offensive

Hate speech

not hateful

Attention-grabbing headline

not detected

Known propaganda techniques

not detected

Time-value

short-lived

Affiliate links

no affiliate links