Two suspected child traffickers have been arrested after residents and security operatives foiled the attempted abduction of three children in Mkpat Enin Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.
The incident occurred on Wednesday evening on the Ekparakwa–Ekpene Ukpa Road in Ikot Ekpaw, a community at the centre of recent kidnapping incidents.
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The police confirmed the incident in a statement, adding that three children were rescued with two suspects arrested.
The father of two of the victims, Itoro Ekpoudo, told PREMIUM TIMES that his seven-year-old and three-year-old sons were returning home from an evening lesson around 7 p.m. when they were accosted by occupants of a minibus.
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According to him, the suspects attempted to deceive the children by claiming they had been sent by their father.
“My son told me the men came out of the vehicle and said, ‘Your daddy asked us to come and take you home.’
“But my son told them his daddy had travelled to Uyo and began questioning them.
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“He asked them, ‘If you know my daddy, is he short or tall?’ and one of them replied that his daddy was tall,” Mr Ekpoudo said.
The father said the response heightened the boy’s suspicion.
He explained that the seven-year-old immediately held on to his younger brother and tried to flee, but one of the suspects forcefully seized the three-year-old child and dragged him into the vehicle.
The older child then raised an alarm, attracting shop owners and passersby to the scene.
“At that point, the kidnappers drove off with my younger son. But because people had already been alerted, they later stopped and pushed him out of the vehicle before speeding away,” Mr Ekpoudo said.
The fleeing suspects were subsequently pursued by commercial motorcyclists and other residents to a police checkpoint in Ekparakwa, where they were arrested.
Videos circulating on social media showed angry youths demanding that the suspects be handed over to them. The mob later set the suspects’ vehicle ablaze.
Father’s gratitude
Following the rescue, Mr Ekpoudo took to Facebook to thank residents and youths who responded to his son’s distress call.
“One of the three suspected kidnappers dragged my two sons, Emmanuel and Ubongabasi, on their way back from evening lesson at Ikot Ekpaw in Mkpat Enin Local Government Area to their minibus.
“But thank God my son raised an alarm and good neighbours came out to save them. Right now, two of them are at the Mkpat Enin Divisional Police Station.
“Many thanks to the Mkpat Enin and Oruk Anam youths. May God bless and reward you all.
“Thank you, Jesus,” he wrote.
He posted a photograph of one of the suspects on the social media platform.
Police account
In a statement issued on Thursday, the police spokesperson in the state, Timfon John said operatives rescued three abducted children and arrested two suspected child traffickers following a distress call from a concerned resident.
Ms John said detectives were immediately mobilised while strategic entry and exit routes in the area were cordoned off.
“During the intensive search, operatives intercepted a minibus with registration number 830 PH. A thorough search of the vehicle led to the discovery of the three missing children inside the bus.
“The children were rescued unharmed, while two suspects were arrested on the spot,” the police spokesperson said.
The suspects were identified as Emmanuel Johnny, 39, from Ikot Itokpo Village in Nsit Ubium Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom, who currently resides in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, and Ifiok Umoh, 28, from Ikot Ikpene Village in Oruk Anam Local Government Area.
The police said the children had since been reunited with their families, while the suspects remain in custody.
Area long plagued by kidnappings
The latest incident occurred along the Ekparakwa–Ekpene Ukpa axis, an area that has for years been notorious for kidnapping activities.
In August 2025, the police killed a suspected kidnapper, John Akpan, during a gun battle in Ikot Umiang, Mkpat Enin Local Government Area. Police said the gang had terrorised residents between 2020 and 2023 and was linked to several high-profile abductions.
PREMIUM TIMES previously reported that in February 2022, gunmen invaded a cottage hospital in Ikot Ekpaw and abducted a medical doctor, Felix Ekpo.
Two months later, televangelist John Okoriko, founder of Solid Rock Kingdom Church, was kidnapped in Mkpat Enin, while Catholic priest Alphonsus Eboh was abducted in the same area in May 2022.
READ ALSO: Abduction: Oyo private schools reject strike, protest, opt for one-day closure
A huge ransom was reportedly paid before the victims were released.
The same corridor also witnessed the abduction and subsequent killing of PDP chieftain Sylvester Ntefre in May 2022, while retired broadcaster Malcahy Ufot died shortly after he was freed by kidnappers in October 2023.
In March 2024, a liquor distributor abducted in Ekparakwa reportedly died in captivity.
Although security operations and community vigilance had significantly reduced such incidents in recent years, Wednesday’s attempted child abduction has renewed concerns among residents about the activities of criminal gangs operating in the area.
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