Its quite disturbing to hear about the increased reported cases of kidnap across the country, and even more sad that the perpetrators of this heinous crime chose an innocent two-year old boy as their victim.
A two-year old boy was recently returned to his parents by kidnappers after his family paid N5 million ransom. According to PM News, Emmanuel Alonge was kidnapped by yet to be identified gunmen on Monday at Iju area of Lagos State and was taken to an unknown destination.
The kidnappers had earlier demanded for N150 million, which they later slashed to N100 million and then to N20 million and later to N5 million.
Thankfully, the boy was returned to his family on Saturday morning after paying N5 million ransom.
Emmanuel was snatched at gunpoint while riding in his parents’ black Lexus SUV on his way to school. He was with the driver identified as Daniel, and a private Nurse identified as Mrs Adeyemo when the incident happened.
According to witnesses, the four abductors wore masks and they had been in the vicinity for some time awaiting the arrival of their victim. When they arrived the area, they drove and parked their black Mitsubishi Montero jeep at a distance of about seven buildings away from the residence of the Alonge’s.
A source told PM News “Truly we noticed that the black Montero SUV was parked in the area but we did not suspect any ulterior motive because the occupants were playing and chasing one another around their vehicle.
“But when the SUV carrying the boy and others was approaching, they blocked the Lexus SUV. We noticed that the driver resisted the abductors but when they threatened to break the windscreen, he opened the door and he saw them carrying guns. They threw the nurse under the SUV car, snatched the boy and sped off in their car.”
The nurse explained that because she was thrown under the vehicle, the driver could not ride on her and it gave the assailants ample time to drive off before they could chase after them. She said the kidnappers hit her several times with gun butt when she refused to release the boy, adding that “when they opened the door, they told us ‘we are not going to kill you if only you give us the boy’; I then told them that I will not release the boy, until they kill me, that was when they hit me in the head and when I slumped they threw me under the vehicle.”
The overjoyed father, Olusegun Alonge said the family picked up the boy around 3 AM at Car Wash bus stop, Alakuko in Lagos where the kidnappers dropped him.
“I thank God, the baby is fine. They treated him well. The house boy is still with the police as they are still investigating the case,” he told PM News. However, the arrested driver, the house boy and other security guards are still in police custody.
The little boy won’t have been able to understand that he was kidnapped but being among strange people for six days must have been a very uncomfortable experience for him. We are glad he is back to his family and hope that better steps would be taken to improve the security of lives in the country. Kidnapping a two year-old in broad daylight is surely not the way forward
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