Shocking: Four-year old boy kidnapped in Calabar

A 4-year old boy, Effiong Edet has been abducted at
the Ekorinim axis of Calabar, the Cross River State
Capital by the hoodlums who raided the community
in an Audi car with a concealed car
registration number.
The kidnapers struck at about 8:30 pm on
Wednesday while the local vigilante members,
majority of whom are football lovers were
preoccupied with watching the Arsenal match
against Turkish football club in the on-going
European league.
The gang which is said to specialise in kidnapping
children of Kindergarten and nursery school age,
stormed Ikot Onim for a victim and on arrival at the
community, drove to Mr. Edet's compound ,
Effiong's father where they sighted the boy and his
friends playing around while his mother was
selling fried yam.
The hoodlums which our source said did not have a
target in mind first attempted to whisk away a six-
year old boy identified as Joseph, who strongly
resisted his assailants by crying and biting one of
the kidnappers on the hand causing them to
abandon him and then swiftly seizing Edet whom
they bundled into their car and sped off.
Since most able bodied residents of the area were
busy watching the football match, there was no one
to go after the kidnappers. "By the time we got to
hear what had happened, the boys had gone far and
besides, there was no available car to go after
them.", the father of the kidnapped boy said.
The matter, the father said was immediately
reported at State Housing Police Station, Calabar
where the police demanded for the photograph of
the
4-year old child to enable them carry out
investigations, assuring Mr. Edet and his wife that
the perpetrators will soon be apprehended. At press
time, no ransom had been demanded just as
family sources said no contact had been
established with the suspects.
When contacted, the state Polic Public Relations
Officer, Mr. Hogan Bassey said the police
authorities were working to rescue the victim
without any ransom paid, as Junior's father was a
worker earning just N6, 000 per month as security
man.