Fidelia Soriwei, Abuja
A two-year-old boy kidnapped from Bunyia Iruan community in Boki Local Government Area of Cross River State has been rescued, while two 17-year-old suspects were apprehended in connection with the incident.
The suspects, identified as Suahnen Lorlumun and Sekeghshie Silas, were reportedly intercepted by members of a community vigilante group in Ogberia Ochoro, in the Mbube area of Ogoja Local Government Area.
An eyewitness, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the suspects were stopped while allegedly attempting to take the child through the community.
“When we noticed that they were trying to take the boy across our community, we had to stop them. We stopped the two of them and arrested them by our community vigilante group,” he said.
The eyewitness said the suspects were later taken to the village square, where they were tied to a concrete wall fence and beaten before the police arrived.
The Cross River State Police Command confirmed that the suspects were taken to the Okubuchi Police Outpost for their safety amid concerns that they could be lynched by youths in the area.
The command’s Public Relations Officer, ASP Sunday Eitokpah, confirmed the incident in a statement issued to journalists on Thursday in Calabar.
“The Cross River State Police Command is aware of an incident involving two young men, namely Suahnen Lorlumun, 17, and Sekeghshie Silas, 17, who were brought to the Okubuchi Police Outpost by the Clan Head of Bunyia Irruan, for their safety following concerns that they could be lynched by youths in the area,” the statement read.
Eitokpah said the two suspects were subsequently released into the custody of the Clan Head, accompanied by three officials of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons from Calabar.
“The Command further confirms that the two young men were subsequently released into the custody of the Clan Head, in the company of three officials of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons from Calabar,” the statement said.
The child was reportedly abducted two days earlier from Bunyia Iruan community in Boki Local Government Area before his rescue in the Mbube area of Ogoja.
The circumstances surrounding the alleged kidnapping and the involvement of the two suspects remain subject to further investigation by the relevant authorities.
