Lagos, Nigeria (CNN) -- Police raided a clinic in southeast Nigeria and rescued about 30 girls allegedly used in a "baby industry" in which they would give birth to children who then would be sold, authorities said Thursday. "There are about 30 pregnant young ladies -- the eldest was 20 years old," said Geoffrey Ogbonna, a police spokesman. "Some belong in secondary, even in primary school." In addition to the expecting mothers, 12 children were found at the clinic ranging in age from 2 to 12 years old, according to Arinze Orakwue, a spokesman for the National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic in Persons. It was not clear whether the children found were related to the pregnant girls and women.
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Police raid a clinic in Abia state after a tip
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The girls rescued were used to give birth and their children sold, police say
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Officials: The oldest girl rescued at the clinic is age 20
Arinze Orakwue
@placeholder called the operation of the clinic, which was officially registered, "a failure of oversight."
Geoffrey Ogbonna
Authorities believe there were cases in which babies were sold for between 100,000 and 150,000 naira ($640 to $960), with the women receiving about $131, according to @placeholder.