A young boy identified as Marvelous has narrowly escaped a suspected kidnapping attempt after a commercial motorcycle rider allegedly lured him onto his motorcycle under the pretense that his father had sent him to pick him up in Edjekota-Ogor community, Delta State.
MERDLAX AFRICA gathered that the incident occurred on Tuesday evening as the boy was returning home from school.
According to a community report, Marvellous was trekking home when the motorcycle rider approached him around Otovwodo Primary School and claimed that his father had instructed him to convey the boy home.
However, the boy reportedly became suspicious, telling the rider that his father had never sent a commercial motorcyclist to pick him up from school.
The rider allegedly ignored his concerns, rubbed his head and persuaded him to climb onto the motorcycle.
After the boy got on, the rider reportedly headed towards Ewu but took a different route instead of proceeding towards the child’s home.
Sensing danger, Marvellous reportedly began shouting for help and raising the alarm as they passed through Edjekota.
The rider allegedly stopped, pushed the boy off the motorcycle at a roadside bush and fled the scene.
When residents questioned him, the boy identified himself as Marvellous and disclosed that he lived on Okogbe Street, Oviri-Ogor.
Following the incident, the President-General of Edjekota-Ogor community reportedly directed the Secretary-General to ensure the boy was safely returned to his parents.
The Secretary-General subsequently located the boy’s family and successfully reunited him with his parents.
The incident has renewed concerns about the safety of schoolchildren and the tactics allegedly used by criminals to gain their trust and abduct them.
Parents and guardians have been urged to remain vigilant and ensure that children are properly informed about school pickup arrangements, particularly warning them against following strangers, even when such individuals claim to have been sent by their parents.
