A 23-year-old man, Edward Okache, has been arrested with four others for faking his own kidnap and demanding N10 million ransom from his relatives.
This was made known by the spokesman of the Ogun State Police Command, Abimbola Oyeyemi, in a statement.
In the statement on Wednesday, Oyeyemi said Okache was arrested along with the four others: Asamoah Ernest, Isiah Uti, Ephraim Anyijor and Charity Lukpata, on October 10, 2022.
The suspects were arrested following a report lodged at Mowe Divisional Police Headquarters by one Comfort Okache, who reported via phone call that his younger brother who traveled from Calabar in Cross River State to Lagos State was kidnapped around Mowe area of Ogun State.
Comfort also reported that the suspected kidnappers were demanding for N10 million if relations want to see the Okache alive.
Upon the report, the Divisional Police Officer, Mowe Division, SP Folake Afeniforo, was said to have mobilised the Division’s tactical teams and moved to the area.
Upon painstaking and enduring combing of the surrounding bush at Orimerunmu area, the victim was sighted in an uncompleted building with the duo of Ernest, a Ghanaian and Uti, where he was tied in both hands and legs.
The two suspects found with him were promptly arrested, while the victim was rescued.
But on getting to the station, the two arrested suspects made a shocking revelation that the so-called victim was the person who planned with them to kidnap him in order for him to extort money from his parents to invest on an online business.
They stated further that the so-called victim was introduced to them by Anyijor and Lukpata, who are from the same Yala Local Government Area of Cross River State as the victim, and that they all are all part of the planned kidnap of Okache.
Their confession led to the arrest of Anyijor and Lukpata.
According to Oyeyemi, they have all confessed to the commission of the crime.
Meanwhile, the Command’s Commissioner, CP Lanre Bankole, has directed that the suspects be transferred to the Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the State Criminal Investigation Department for further investigation and possible prosecution.