Police Arrest 21-Year-Old for Staging Own Kidnapping, Defrauding Parents

The Enugu State Police Command has arrested four suspects, including a 21-year-old man who allegedly faked his own kidnapping in a plot to extort ₦2 million from his parents.

According to a statement by the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Daniel Ndukwe, the suspects were apprehended on May 24, 2025, by operatives attached to the Nsukka Sector of the Anti-Cultism Tactical Squad. The group is accused of conspiracy, staging a kidnapping, and defrauding the victim’s parents.

The main suspect, Chidera Godwin Ako (21), allegedly planned his abduction with the help of Okechukwu Philip Chidalu (19), Ifeanyi Ugwu (20), and Ossai Chigozie (35), a recently released ex-convict.

Police recovered a locally made single-barrel gun and two live cartridges from the suspects during the arrest.

Chidera was reported missing on May 4, 2025. On May 21, his accomplices used his phone to contact his parents, demanding a ₦10 million ransom. They also sent a video showing him bound and appearing to have been beaten, with a gun pointed at him.

His distressed parents made an initial payment of ₦1.5 million on May 22. When he was not released, they transferred an additional ₦500,000. The suspects were arrested shortly after at a POS centre while trying to withdraw the funds. All four have confessed to the crime.

The Commissioner of Police, CP Mamman Bitrus Giwa, condemned the act and described it as both deceptive and unfortunate. He has ordered further investigations and the arrest of any other individuals linked to the crime.

CP Giwa urged the public to promptly report suspected kidnapping cases and to exercise caution before making ransom payments, noting that some incidents such as this one may be fabricated.

The suspects will be charged in court once investigations are concluded.