The Lagos State Police Command has arrested a 26-year-old housewife and a 30-year-old man for allegedly orchestrating a fake kidnapping scheme to extort money from the woman’s husband.
According to the police, the suspect’s husband contacted the command’s emergency line on November 24, reporting that his wife had been abducted by armed men. He said the alleged kidnappers initially demanded ₦10 million as ransom, later reducing it to ₦3 million. Despite paying ₦2.5 million, his wife was not released, prompting further concern.
Following the report, a special police team was immediately deployed, using both human intelligence and technical resources to track the supposed kidnappers. The woman was eventually “released” and reunited with her family.
During questioning, the suspect claimed she was kidnapped by six armed men driving a silver Toyota Venza. She alleged that she was taken to an undisclosed location and robbed of her iPhone 12 Pro Max. She also told investigators that the ransom paid by her husband was first transferred into her bank account before being handed over to the kidnappers.
However, police said her account contained several contradictions. As investigations progressed, officers arrested her alleged accomplice on December 3 in the Ede area of Osun State. A SIM card used to register the WhatsApp account through which ransom negotiations were conducted was recovered from him.
During interrogation, the accomplice reportedly admitted that the woman asked to use his SIM card to create the WhatsApp account used for the negotiations. He also confessed to providing the one-time password sent to his line, which allowed her to operate the account.
Confronted with this evidence, the woman allegedly confessed to staging her own abduction in order to obtain money from her husband, who resides in South Africa.
Further investigation led to the recovery of the missing iPhone. Police said the phone was found with a 34-year-old man who stated that he bought it from the suspect for ₦380,000 and was warned not to insert a SIM card into it.
The police said investigations are ongoing and that both suspects will be charged to court once inquiries are concluded. The Lagos State Commissioner of Police also warned members of the public against false reports and deceptive acts that waste security resources, urging residents to remain law-abiding and report suspicious activities through official emergency channels.
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