Kidnappers have released two Ugandan children who had been kidnapped from a rice garden in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Saturday after the family paid two million Shillings’ ransom.
The victims identified as Akim Niwagaba,13, and Ramadhan Ayinamani,10, both children to Seth Bahati and Joselyn Ampeire, from Kyabuyorwa upper village in Kanungu district were kidnapped from a rice garden at Bugarama village in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The victims were pursuing birds from the garden when two men donning replicas of the camouflage army Uniform and armed with an AK 47 rifles emerged from the nearby bush and held them at gunpoint. Without uttering a word, the gunmen disappeared with the minors.
According to Seth Bahati the victims’ father, later after the kidnap, the gunmen sent a text message demanding 4 million Shillings and instructed them to reply using a text message if the ransom was available.
Elly Maate Kigezi the Region Police spokesperson says that the children were released last evening after the family paid two Million, out of the four million Shillings, in agreement with the kidnappers. Maate says that though the victims are psychologically tortured, they were not physically harmed.
Maate cautioned locals neighboring Uganda-Congo border to be mindful of their safety before crossing to the other side of the border.
