An 11-year-old boy abducted on Sunday during a mass service at the Annunciation Catholic Church, Awka, Anambra State capital, has been found.
It was gathered that among the kidnappers were an elderly man and another middle-aged man who was described as a tricycle operator.
A nephew of the boy, who identified himself as Ogazi Ejesieme, disclosed the news of the kidnap, adding that the boy was later found as the suspects abandoned him at Amawbia, a neighbouring community to Awka and fled.
Ejesieme, who did not state why the kidnap suspects abandoned the boy, said the suspects stormed the church while mass was going on and pretended to be looking for the parish Catechist.
He said the victim, in a bid to assist them in locating the catechist, met himself inside the tricycle the suspects brought.
He added that the incident created pandemonium around the vicinity as a search team was mobilised until they got the information that the boy had been abandoned in the Amawbia area.
He said, “My 11-year-old nephew was kidnapped today at Annunciation Catholic Chaplaincy, Awka, where he went for Sunday mass.
“According to him, the suspects were an elderly man with his Keke friend and they came pretending to be looking for the parish catechist. In a bid for him to help them look for the catechist, the only thing he could remember was seeing himself inside their Keke and the rest was history.
“The good news is that the boy was miraculously abandoned at Amawbia, a neighbouring community to Awka.
“The good news is that God was able to arrest the kidnappers and they abandoned him at Ugwu Tank, Amawbia and fled.
“They got to the Catholic Church at Ugwu Tank, Amawbia and dumped him there and left.”
When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Toochukwu Ikenga, said the information had not been brought before him as of the time of filing this report.
Credit: Punch