From Stanley Uzoaru, Owerri
The Imo State Police Command has handed over 16-year-old Khadizat Labaran, who was abducted by suspected gunmen in Kogi State to her parents.
The state police Spokesman, Henry Okoye, in a statement, said the victim, who hails from Lokoja, was blindfolded and forced into a vehicle at Ganaja junction in Lokoja, where she was kidnapped.
The victim, who later escaped on getting to Nkwere in Imo State, where she was later found wandering in a bush on July 25, 2023, was picked up by a good Samaritan who took her to the nearest police station.
Okoye further disclosed that the recovery was made possible through the active support and cooperation of the State’s Gender Affairs and Vulnerable Group, who he said took the young girl to Kogi State and handed her over to the Kogi State Ministry of Women Affairs and, thereafter, to her parents.
Meanwhile, the Imo State Police Commissioner, Mohammed Barde, has commended the good Samaritan for taking the victim to Nkwerre Police Divisional Headquarters and the respective Commissioners of Gender Affairs, in Imo and Kogi for their maximum support in reuniting the teenager back with her parents.
He also applauded the DPO, Nkwerre, for the exemplary fatherly role he played by caring for the young girl. The CP has also reiterated the command’s unflinching commitment to ensuring maximum security for all and sundry in the state.