A two-year-old boy abducted from Bunyia Iruan community in Boki Local Government Area of Cross River State has been rescued, while two suspected kidnappers were apprehended by youths in Ogberia Ochoro community in the Mbube area of Ogoja LGA.
The suspects, identified as 17-year-old Suahnen Lorlumun and 17-year-old Sekeghshie Silas, were handed over to the Okubuchi Police Outpost by the Clan Head of Bunyia Irruan.
They were reportedly taken to the police facility for their protection after community youths threatened to lynch them.
The Cross River State Police Command confirmed the incident through its Public Relations Officer, ASP Sunday Eitokpah, in a statement issued to journalists in Calabar on Thursday.
Eitokpah said the police were aware of the incident and confirmed that the two suspects had been brought to the outpost by the clan head to prevent them from being attacked by angry youths.
“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.
According to the police spokesperson, the suspects were later released into the custody of the Clan Head alongside 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.
An eyewitness, who requested anonymity, said members of the community vigilante group intercepted the suspects while they were allegedly attempting to move 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 witness added that the suspects were taken to the village square, where they were tied to a concrete wall fence and beaten before the arrival of the police.
The toddler was reportedly abducted two days earlier from Bunyia Iruan community in Boki Local Government Area.
