🚨 Abduction Drama in the South-East: 13-Year-Old Boy Snatched in Imo, Rescues Himself in Anambra — Police Race to Find Family

The Anambra State Police Command has announced the dramatic rescue of a 13-year-old boy, Anayo Stephen, from Ubaha-Akparu community in Ideato Local Government Area of Imo State, who was allegedly abducted in broad daylight and later found miles away in neighbouring Anambra.

In a statement released by the Command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, the boy was discovered at Ideani Junction in Idemili North Local Government Area after managing to escape from his captors.

According to police investigations, Anayo recounted that at about 3 p.m. on August 9, 2025, he was fetching grass for goats when a Hilux truck carrying four young men pulled up beside him. Pretending to ask for directions, they lured him closer — only to allegedly drag him inside the vehicle and speed off to an undisclosed location.

> “They initially asked him for directions to a certain place in his area. However, unknown to him, they abducted him and took him to an unknown destination,” SP Ikenga revealed.



The boy told police that after hours of fear and uncertainty, luck came his way when his abductors fell asleep in a bushy hideout. Seizing the opportunity, he slipped away into the night and wandered until he encountered vigilante operatives at Ideani Junction. It was to them that he narrated his harrowing ordeal.

The police are now appealing to the public — especially residents of Ideato LGA, Imo State — to help locate Anayo’s family so he can be safely reunited with them.

> “Given the above, the Command seeks the assistance of members of the media to share his picture for possible identification and to reunite him with his family,” Ikenga urged.



This incident comes amid a disturbing spike in kidnapping cases across the South-East, with criminal gangs targeting residents, business owners, and even children.

Only weeks ago, gunmen abducted and brutally murdered Ifesinachi Onyekere, a well-known businessman in Anambra popularly called “Fish Magnet.” Despite the payment of an undisclosed ransom, his body was later found abandoned along the Ukwulu/Igbariam road. His killers had invaded his home in Ezinifite, Okpuno, shot him in the leg, and whisked him away in his own car.

The surge in such violent crimes has heightened fears in the region, with security operatives urging residents to remain vigilant, report suspicious movements, and cooperate with law enforcement to curb the menace.