by GEORGE OPARA Gunmen and Kidnappers appear to be on the prowl again in Abia State as they have kidnapped two market women and a six-month old baby boy.
They perpetrated their nefarious act by feigning to be operators of taxi cabs and motorcyclists Aba, the commercial nucleus of the state, and Umuahia, the state capital.
Yesterday, two women travelling to Uzuakoli market in Bende Local Government Area of the state were kidnapped and taken to an unknown destination.
Their families are now in agony, misery and guessing where the destination was.
One of the women, simply identified as Mrs. Nkechi, was said to be a nursing mother of an eightmonth old baby.
She trades in garri and other allied food stuff and was going to the local market for stock, not knowing she was to be a victim of kidnappers posing as motorists.
Reliable sources disclosed that though the women live in Umuahia, they hailed from Ebonyi State.
Eyewitness accounts disclosed that the kidnap suspects were seen speeding towards the Umuahia/ Aba/Enugu expressway after their operation.
Also, on Monday, some gunmen reportedly abducted a six- month old baby boy at Amapu Umuaja village in Isiala Ngwa South Local Government Area of Abia State.
It was gathered that at about 9.30pm on the day of the incident when most villagers had gone to bed, two gunmen on a motorcycle stormed the compound of the victim’s parents, broke into their house and forcefully snatched the baby from his mother, Mrs. Peace Chikezie.
The whereabouts of the baby is unknown.
After snatching the baby from the mother, the gunmen reportedly fled, and in an apparent move to stop the woman from alerting other villagers, they forcefully collected her mobile phone.
It was after the hoodlums had fled with the baby that the mother raised the alarm and a search team was set to comb the entire neighbourhood to see if the marauders could be apprehended, but all to no avail.
Nobody in the area was able to adduce reason for the baby’s abduction, but there was a general belief that ritual for money making could be the motivating factor.
Some villagers who spoke to our correspondent described the incident as barbaric and satanic, stressing that this was the first time such would be happening in the community.
Abia State Police Public Relations Officer, Geoffrey Ogbonna, could not be a reached as at the time of filing this report.
However, a senior police officer who would not want his name in print confirmed the incident. He said the matter had been reported at the Umuoba Divisional Police Headquarters for proper investigation, adding that police were already on top of the matter to recover the child and also apprehend the hoodlums.
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