A two-year-old boy kidnapped from Bunyia Iruan community in Boki Local Government Area of Cross River State has been rescued after two teenage suspects were apprehended while allegedly attempting to move him through another community.
The suspects, identified as 17-year-old Suahnen Lorlumun and 17-year-old Sekeghshie Silas, were reportedly intercepted by members of a community vigilante group in Ogberia Ochoro, in the Mbube area of Ogoja Local Government Area.
According to an eyewitness, the suspects were stopped after residents noticed them allegedly taking the toddler through the community.
The eyewitness said the suspects were arrested by the local vigilantes and taken to the village square, where they were reportedly tied to a concrete wall and beaten by youths before the police arrived.
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The Cross River State Police Command confirmed the incident, saying the suspects were taken to the Okubuchi Police Outpost by the Clan Head of Bunyia Iruan for their safety amid concerns that angry youths could lynch them.
The command’s Public Relations Officer, ASP Sunday Eitokpah, said the two suspects 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 toddler was reportedly kidnapped two days before his rescue from Bunyia Iruan.
The police said the suspects were being kept under appropriate supervision while the circumstances surrounding the incident were being addressed.
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