Police rescue 6-month-old baby stolen at gunpoint

Police rescue 6-month-old baby stolen at gunpoint in Akwa Ibom Akwa Ibom State Police Command said it rescued a baby, Daniel Jackson Ekwere, as well as baby Goodness Effiong Okon, one month, three weeks and six months respectively, who were stolen from their parents at gunpoint in the state.

The Public Relations Officer of the Police in the State, SP Odiko Macdon, who revealed this during the press conference of the third quarter held at the Command Headquarters, Ikot Akpanabia in Uyo, said that at the time of the rescue of the girl within six months, the kidnappers had completed the plan, sell the baby for four hundred thousand naira (400,000 naira). 

Giving an idea of how the incident happened, the PPRO said, “based on an advisory, anti-child theft operatives ambushed and arrested four child robbery / robbery syndicates, namely Emmanuel Sunday Effiong ‘M’ , Ibanga Sunday Effiong ‘M’, Editi Ibanga Effiong ‘f’ and Idorenyin Etim Iron ‘f’ from Ikot Okubo, Ibesikpo Asutan and rescued a six-month-old baby.

“The investigation revealed that the union used a motorcycle on 10/8/2021 around 9:00 pm, masked its face and invaded the home of Mr. / Mrs. Effiong Okon Udo of Ikot Okubo Ibesikpo Asutan LGA at the point of gun, struck the couple, inflicted various degrees of injuries on them and abducted their six (6) month old baby by name, Goodness Effiong Okon. Both Ibanga Sunday and Emmanuel Effiong Sunday are ex-convicts for robbery / cultism. 

At the time of the rescue, an agreement had been reached to sell the boy for four hundred thousand naira (400 thousand naira dollars)”. Speaking about the one month and six week old baby, the PPRO said, “The suspect, Margaret Friday Akpan, forty years of Ekpene Ukim Uruan, went to the home of the victim’s mother, Ms. Blessing Jackson Ekwere ‘f’ pretending sick and then sent said Blessing Jackson Ekwere to buy medicine for her. The suspect ran away with her one month and three week old baby named Daniel Jackson Ekwere before the mother, Blessing Ekwere, returned from where she went to buy the drugs. He noted that the two babies have been rescued and reunited with their parents, adding that all suspects would be charged in court as soon as the investigations are complete. 

However, in an interview, Ms Effiong Udo, the mother of the six-month-old baby, said that she is still suffering excruciating pain in her spinal cord when one of the suspects kicked her in the back to release her baby even while she expressed joy. that her son has joined her. 

Furthermore, the mother of the one-month-three-week-old baby explained that when she called the suspect on the phone to ask the whereabouts of her baby, the suspect claimed that he did not see her baby and that he only went to the hospital because his stomach hurt. it became unbearable. “When I called her, she denied having the baby and said she had to rush to the hospital because the pain was getting unbearable. I quickly called my husband, who informed the police, ”Blessing said. She said that when it became clear that the suspect could not hide due to the calls he received; She packed the baby in a bag she was supposed to take to Ghana and took him to her daughter’s home in Ekpene Ukim, where she was about to be mugged before the police arrived and arrested her. 

Meanwhile, the PPRO noted that the command has arrested 136 suspects within the period under review, including: 11 murder suspects, 47 armed robbery and robbery suspects, 10 corruption and rape suspects, 21 suspects cultists, 16 suspected vandals, 7 kidnapping suspects and 24 more, including theft of children and other criminal activities.

Culled: The Nation