Suspected Kidnappers Arrested Moments Before They Nabbed Their Target

NAIROBI, Kenya, Sept 16- Four men who had planned to kidnap a man from Mukuru slums in Nairobi and take him to Mombasa, have been arrested. It is not yet clear what was their motive.

The four were traveling in a salon car and had arrived in the Lungalunga area for the mission when police officers acting on a tip-off arrested them.

The targeted man is said to have been informed of the mission and feared he would have been killed.

The four will be arraigned on Thursday.

Cases of kidnapping have been on the rise in the country, with some of the victims found alive while others remain missing, with their fate unknown.

Children too have not been spared. Unfortunately, tens of kidnapped children have been killed.

Police have recently arrested suspects who admitted kidnapping and killing children, in harrowing testimonies.

“UNICEF condemns in the strongest possible terms the kidnapping and killing of children – this is one of the worst crimes imaginable and there can be no excuses for it,” UNICEF Representative to Kenya Maniza Zaman said in a statement in June.

“As well as holding the perpetrators to account, we need to redouble our efforts to ensure that children are protected wherever they are – at home, in schools, and in public spaces. We need psychosocial support for child victims and their families, and we need to ensure that the public is vigilant and knows how to recognize and report any kind of violence against children.”