Kidnappers in Benue, Snatch 30 Children In 2 Months

                                 

Kidnappers have snatched a one-year-old baby from his mother’s back alongside 29 others in a series of kidnapping cases in Benue state, Vanguard reports.

The state’s security agencies say they are faced with the challenge of tracing the kidnappers, who have been operating over the last seven weeks, and have reportedly abducted about 30 children between the ages of one and seven.

Although the police claimed that they have been trying their best to unravel the mystery behind the series of kidnappings, the mothers are dissatisfied with the situation as their children are still missing.

Some mothers of kidnapped children

Some of the aggrieved mothers who spoke with journalists on Thursday, in Makurdi, the state capital, claimed that the kidnappings have continued without anyone making any serious attempt at recovering the children.

According to Mrs Ngodoo Amiase, a 30-year-old mother of three, her son, Tersoo Paul Amiaser, a four-year-old pupil of Joel Model School, Gboko Road, Makurdi, has been missing since August 29.

“My son went to play within the market with his mates, which was his routine whenever i took him to the market. However, on that day, he left my shop at about 4pm, but, by 5pm when he usually returns, I didn’t see him.

“I went looking for him. In the process, a young girl said she saw him with a woman who she could not identify and asked where the woman was going with the boy but the woman told the girl she was my sister and that I had asked her to go and buy juice for my son.

“The matter was reported to the police who have been investigating the issue but, till date, I’ve not seen Tersoo. I don’t know where they’ve taken him to. I’m begging whoever took my son to return him. He is too innocent for anyone to harm him,” the cassava flour and raw ‘akpu’ seller at Wurukum market, Makurdi, said.

Other mothers of victims, Wandoo Hemkya, Charity Otumala and Doosuur Aer, spoke about their childrens’ disappearance.

They explained how their children were also abducted at different locations in Benue.

Hemkya, who could not bear the pain of losing her offspring, explained to journalists that she had the youngster, Shaaondo, with her sister to attend a burial programme in the village but an unknown ‘uncle’ had taken him away before her return.

She said: “My neigbours said the man who took Shaaondo pretended to be a close relative and just deceived them and took my son away in broad daylight.

“Up till today, there is no news as to his whereabouts or as to those who took him away and for what reason. I’m urging the police to redouble their efforts in the search for my son. The pain of him being taken away in the manner they did is too much for me to bear.”

Otumala and Doosuur also narrated their ordeals, saying how their sons, aged four and six respectively, went missing the same day after an unidentified person took them away from where they were playing.

“We are neigbours in Wadata and our children are always playing together until few days back when unknown persons picked them and took them away from where they usually played.

“Since the incident, we have been combing the neighbourhood for them but we could not see any trace of them; we have also not known peace and we have never had good sleep since their sudden disappearance.

“The matter was reported to the police but nothing has come out of their investigations but we are hopeful that the police will find our children and return them back to us in good health,” they narrated.

It was also reported that a one-year-old baby was snatched from the mother’s back while on her way to Saint Peter’s Catholic Church, Wurukum, Makurdi.

“They dragged the baby from the woman who was going to church with her child and sped off before anyone could realize what was happening.

“The truth is that child snatchers are on the prowl in Benue and the earlier the police take proactive steps to tackle it the better for everyone because as everyone is scared; even when you drop off your children in school, you are not at peace until you pick them,” an eyewitness narrated.

While confirming the incidents, the Benue state police public relations officer Deputy Police Superintendent, DSP Austin Ezeani, said that they were doing everything possible to track down the syndicate behind the crimes.

He said: “We are not resting, until all those behind the crime are arrested and the abducted children recovered and returned to their parents.”

The state governor Samuel Ortom, also spoke about events, stating that he had received information about syndicates that abduct children in the state, adding: “It is a strange development in this part of the country; it is highly condemnable and unacceptable for anyone to resort to stealing children.

“We will not allow such highly reprehensible activity in this state, we will collaborate with security agencies to ensure that the menace is tackled and all those behind it brought to justice.”

In a another development, the police in Lagos recently arrested a woman for kidnapping a nine-month-old babyand fleeing to Okija area of Anambra state.