Suspects arrested after foiled child abduction attempt in Akwa Ibom State

An attempted abduction of three children was thwarted in Mkpat Enin Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria, leading to the arrest of two suspected child traffickers. The incident unfolded on Wednesday evening on the Ekparakwa–Ekpene Ukpa Road in Ikot Ekpaw, a community that has recently experienced several kidnapping incidents.

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My son told me the men came out of the vehicle and said, ‘Your daddy asked us to come and take you home.’ But my son told them his daddy had travelled to Uyo and began questioning them.

The police confirmed that three children were rescued and two suspects were apprehended. According to Itoro Ekpoudo, the father of two of the victims, his seven-year-old and three-year-old sons were returning from evening lessons around 7 p.m. when they were approached by individuals in a minibus. The suspects attempted to deceive the children by claiming their father had sent them.

"My son told me the men came out of the vehicle and said, ‘Your daddy asked us to come and take you home.’ But my son told them his daddy had travelled to Uyo and began questioning them," Ekpoudo recounted. The seven-year-old's suspicion grew when the men could not provide specific details about his father. He then held onto his younger brother and tried to escape. One suspect forcibly seized the three-year-old and dragged him into the vehicle.

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If you know my daddy, is he short or tall? and one of them replied that his daddy was tall.

The older child's alarm attracted nearby shop owners and passersby. Although the kidnappers drove off with the younger child, the alerted community members pursued them. The suspects eventually stopped and pushed the three-year-old out of the vehicle before speeding away. Commercial motorcyclists and other residents then chased the fleeing suspects to a police checkpoint in Ekparakwa, where they were arrested.

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At that point, the kidnappers drove off with my younger son. But because people had already been alerted, they later stopped and pushed him out of the vehicle before speeding away.

Videos circulating on social media showed agitated youths demanding the suspects be handed over to them, and the mob subsequently set the suspects' vehicle on fire. The father expressed his gratitude on Facebook to the residents and youths who intervened, stating, "Thank God my son raised an alarm and good neighbours came out to save them." Police spokesperson Timfon John confirmed that operatives rescued the children and arrested the suspects following a distress call.

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One of the three suspected kidnappers dragged my two sons, Emmanuel and Ubongabasi, on their way back from evening lesson at Ikot Ekpaw in Mkpat Enin Local Government Area to their minibus. But thank God my son raised an alarm and good neighbours came out to save them.