By CHARLES IWUOHA

A seven months old baby identified as Chizaram Nnaluo was kidnapped at Aniekwena Street, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, on Saturday, May 23, 2020 by hoodlums who invaded the place shooting sporadically into the air to scare people away.

After scaring people away, they rushed into the room where the toddler was lying peacefully and took him, jumped into already packed motorcycle and sped off.

But luck ran out on them when neighbours summoned courage and chased after them. The seven months old baby was rescued, three of the suspects, Oroke Andrew, Uche Esther and Nwite David were nabbed by the angry neigbours and were beaten to stupor.

The keke was set ablaze and the suspects were also being prepared to be set ablaze when police stormed the area and rescued them.

According to the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Loveth Odah, when the suspects were brought to the station, she interviewed the female among them who gave more insight into what happened.

She said: “When the DPO of C Division went there to rescue them, they were half dead and the tricycle was already set ablaze.

“So, when they brought them, the lady narrated to me that she was kidnapped and kept somewhere for two weeks now and that the day of the incident was their third time of visiting that house to kidnap that particular child.

“I then asked why the focus was on the child alone, she said that the people who planned to kidnap the child said he is the same age with the demand by their business partners.

“It was surprising that the hoodlums went to steal the child with gun. And the child has bruises on one side of her face because of how they forcefully dragged her.

“The female suspect said she was kept to serve as the baby’s mother to avoid police suspecting them. That the first day they went to the place, she bought drink and sat in the woman’s shop which has a linking door to their living room and drank but because people were much there they didn’t succeed in stealing the baby.

“She said the woman converted one of their rooms to shop. The lady said it was that day that they wanted to carry the baby but couldn't. After two attempts and they couldn’t, they decided to come with gun so that they can forcefully carry the baby.”

Odah stated that when neighbours swung into action, the two main suspects escaped while innocent keke operator and ‘okada’ rider were the ones caught and almost lynched by the angry mob.

“The most painful part is that the main suspects escaped. They stopped a tricycle pointing gun on his head and ordered him to take them to where they were going to. They saw and ‘okadaman’ and stopped him as well, collected his bike and forced him to seat with the lady inside the keke.

“The lady said the two men who were caught were innocent. That in fact that day was her first day of setting her eyes on them,” she narrated.

The PPRO assured that effort was on to arrest the fleeing suspects.

While the seven months old was given back to her parents.

Update news