A two-year-old boy who was kidnapped from Bunyia Iruan community in Boki Local Government Area of Cross River State has been rescued after youths in Ogberia Ochoro community in the Mbube area of Ogoja Local Government Area apprehended two suspected kidnappers.
The suspects were identified as Suahnen Lorlumun, 17, and Sekeghshie Silas, 17. They were taken to the Okubuchi Police Outpost by the Clan Head of Bunyia Irruan amid fears that youths in the area might lynch them.
The Cross River State Police Command Public Relations Officer, ASP Sunday Eitokpah, confirmed the incident in a statement issued to journalists on Thursday in Calabar.
Eitokpah said the command was aware of the incident and explained that the suspects were taken to the police outpost to protect them from possible harm.
“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.
He said the two suspects were subsequently 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 apprehended the suspects while they were allegedly trying to move the boy through the area.
“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.
According to the eyewitness, the suspects were later taken to the village square, where they were tied to a concrete wall fence and beaten before police officers arrived.
The boy was reportedly kidnapped two days earlier in Bunyia Iruan community, Boki Local Government Area.