How sickness saved 5-year-old boy from kidnappers

The mother of a five-year-old boy, who was reportedly kidnapped and held for three days in an undisclosed place within Jinja City, believes his sickness was crucial for his rescue.
Shafik Ssemambo was at the weekend reportedly abducted from his parents’ home in Namulesa, a Jinja City suburb, by men who held him in seclusion while demanding for a Shs28m ransom which was later reduced to Shs2m.
He was, however, rescued on Tuesday following a joint security operation, which led to the arrest of five suspects.
 
Following his rescue, Ssemambo reportedly looked pale and had a high temperature, according to the mother, Ms Justine Nabatyanga.

In what is believed to be the last telephone call to Ms Nabatyanga, one of Ssemambo’s captors is recorded saying: “The money (ransom) has been reduced to Shs2m and your child is sick; he has really disturbed us, so we need Shs2m and we direct you to where he is.” 
He adds: “You are busy muting me and I am hearing many voices. I have given you less than five minutes to call with the money and I tell you where he is alive.
 
“I know you have people tracking me but that is what we already worked on (disabling any tracking device). All we want is money, and once we get the message (mobile money), we tell you where your person is. I have given you very few minutes, actually not exceeding five.” 
Ms Nabatyanga now believes her son’s sickness was crucial in his release because a few hours after that call, he was rescued.
“I think the boy became more useful to the captors while still alive than if he was dead, that is why I suspect they quickly abandoned him,” she told Monitor on Wednesday.
 
She added: “He was weak, pale and had a high temperature; so we rushed him to Ronz Medical Centre in Jinja City where he was diagnosed with malaria.”
 
According to Ms Nabatyanga, her son's alleged kidnappers were communicating with her on 0742373138 and 0706929839. 
Ms Sarah Nabayaza, Ssemambo’s grandmother, said she heard from her grandson that he was taken to a “big house” and given what to eat although he opted to stay hungry for most of the day.
 
“Ssemambo told me that one of the captors kept asking him to refer to him as his ‘dad’ while resting him on his chest,” Ms Nabayaza said, adding that her grandson is currently having traumatic episodes.
“He doesn’t want to see men and fears people more than he did before. When I tried to cover him with a bedsheet, he asked me to cover him over the head,” she said of his grandson, who is in Middle Class at Gloryland Nursery and Primary School in Masese, Jinja South Division.
 
How boy was kidnapped 
Mr James Mubi, the Kiira Region Police Spokesperson, said Ssemambo’s abductors deceived the home caretaker that the victim’s father, Sabiti Kasiira, 55, had sent them to take him to his workplace, a hardware shop in Namulesa.
Ms Nabatyanga said the suspects knocked at their gate on Saturday at around 11am and called out: “Shafik!” after which his 13-year-old caretaker handed him over. 
At the time her son was being kidnapped, Ms Nabatyanga said she was at the hardware shop, although it was not until 4pm while attending a burial in Kamuli District that the first call asking for ransom was placed. 
Ms Nabatyanga says she has no idea why her son was targeted.

“My husband and I leave for the hardware shop at 6am, after which I leave him there and return at 6pm to cook and do other house chores.”
Mr Kasiira says: “Ssemambo is not only my son but my friend. Even if I am with his mother, it is me who he runs to; he is less inclined to the mother.”