The police command in Cross River said on Wednesday that it had arrested seven persons comprising two women and five men, who specialised in child kidnapping and trafficking.
The Assistant Commissioner of Police in-charge of Criminal Investigation in the command, Mr Ganiyu Salami, said in Calabar that the command also rescued two children.
Salami said two suspects, who specialised in defiling under-aged girls and two members of another kidnap syndicate were also arrested by the command.
He said the suspects had confessed to the crime, adding that they would be arraigned soon.
He said two of the suspects were arrested after snatching a nine-year-old child from her mother at Army Junction, Calabar, on May 5.
The assistant commissioner also said that two others were arrested for conniving to steal a three-year-old boy in Calabar South Local Government Area.
He said the suspects were arrested following information from members of the public, adding that another female accomplice was still at large.
He said the rescued children had rejoined their parents.
“The suspects have confessed to the crime and will soon be charged to court on the completion of investigations,’’ he said.
Salami said that two suspected kidnappers were arrested in their hideout in Iffiang, Bakassi Local Government Area.
“The police recovered four single barrel guns from them. During interrogation, they confessed to be members of the gang responsible for many cases of kidnapping in the state.
“They were identified by some of their victims and will be charged to court on the completion of their investigations,” he said.
The officer thanked members of the public for helping the command in tracking down criminals in the state and urged them not to take the laws into their hands.
He called on the public to be security conscious and to report any suspicious character amongst them to the command for prompt action.
Speaking to newsmen, one of the suspects blamed his ordeal on children in the neighbourhood who visited his house to watch pornographic films.
– See more at: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/06/police-smash-child-kidnapping-gang-cross-river/#sthash.PEAtnSux.dpuf
