…Mother, father of abducted four-year-old boy tell court

WITH tears flowing freely from her eyes, the mother of an abducted four-year-old boy, Steve Kanu, on Thursday narrated the family’s bitter experience in the hands of kidnappers who collected N1 million but refused to release her son.

Steve was abducted by the kidnappers on November 2, 2015 at his parents’ number 68, Road 4 Laderin Estate in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.

With her husband, Mucipay Kanu-Muangi, who also recounted his experience in court, Mrs. Bukola Kanu-Muangi gave a graphic testimony of how Steve, who spent about three weeks in the captives’ den, was kidnapped.

She told an Abeokuta Magistrate Court where the suspects were arraigned details of the telephone encounter the family had with the kidnappers while holding her son in captivity.

The suspects, who were charged with two offences of felony and unlawful kidnap of the four-year-old boy, included Amoke Innocent (35), Kenechi Amoke (22), Uchenna Atuokwu (25), and Asalu Oluchi (20).

Steve mother stated that the kidnappers called from an MTN phone number 08104500181 and sent fearful message to the family demanding for N40 million, and threatened that if the ransom was not paid within a stipulated period, the boy would be killed.

They also threatened, according to her, that after killing Steve they would dump his remains in front of their house.
“The following day our son was kidnapped, I received a call from 08104500181,” she stated.  “The caller said he was having my child in his custody.  He threatened that if I want my son alive we should pay N40 million and if we do not pay within 48 hours they would kill the boy and dump his pieces of body in front of the family gate.”

Steve mother explained that after persistent pleadings, they offered N1 million which was collected by the kidnappers on November 6, 2015, but still refused to release her son.

She told the lower court during cross examination that the kidnappers reduced the ransom to

N15million, but insisted that the money must be fully paid before Steve could be released.
Just like her husband also separately narrated to the court, presided over by Magistrate Emmanuel Adekunte, Steve mother stated that her son was forcefully abducted at home and driven away by the suspects in unmarked taxi cab last November 2.

She explained that Steve was in the kidnappers’ den till November 19 when police apprehended the suspects and rescued her son in Nzukka, Enugu State.
She also told the court that the family was in total shock on the discovery that one of the female suspects, Uchenna, was her husband’s hospital staff, who worked as a cleaner.

At the hearing, Steve’s parents were represented by Barrister Gladys Imegu, the Officer in Charge Legal/Prosecution, Ogun State Police Command, while Olufemi Idris and Oluwatoyin Omomehin represented the suspects.
However, Adekunte adjourned further hearing till January 14, 2016 when the person who deposited the N1million ransom to the suspects and Steve would testify.

The suspects, according to the charge sheet with number MA/554c/2015, with others at large, were accused of conspiring together to commit felony to wit kidnapping, an offence that is punishable under Section 516 of the Criminal Code laws of Ogun State of Nigeria 2006.
They were also brought to court for unlawful kidnap of Steve Kanu, thereby committing an offence punishable under Section 364 of the Criminal Code Laws of Ogun State.