Teenager stages own k!dnap, demands ₦10m
Teenager stages own kidnap, demands ₦10m
A teenager, Obehi Odine, 18, has been arrested in Ekpoma, Esan West Local Government Area (LGA) of Edo state, for staging her own kidnap and demanding a ransom of N10 million.
Spokesperson for the Edo state Police command, ASP Eno Ikoedem, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday, noting that the suspect confessed to fabricating the incident to extort money.
She disclosed that the case came to light following a report of a suspected kidnapping along Old INEC road, Ekpoma, at about noon on January 12, 2026.
According to ASP Ikoedem, the newly posted Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Ekpoma, CSP Tomofe Nwabueze, immediately deployed operational resources to investigate.
Technical intelligence and field investigations led to the arrest of the suspect, while uncovering the self-kidnapping plot.
She explained that the command in a separate operation in Ubiaja, also achieved another major success while acting on intelligence from aerial surveillance.
The PPRO said: “The Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Ubiaja, led a coordinated bush-combing operation in collaboration with the Nigerian Military and the Edo State Security Corps (ESSC) to a concealed forest enclave.
”The operation resulted in the arrest of 11 male suspects believed to be members of an organised kidnapping syndicate.
”Recovered items include 24 Dane guns, 17 cutlasses, 3 battle axes, gunpowder, torchlights, mobile phones, solar panels, assorted charms, one Daylong motorcycle, and the sum of ₦209,700.00 cash, among other exhibits.”
The statement quoted the Commissioner of Police, CP Monday Agbonika, as strongly warning the public against engaging in false kidnapping reports and other deceptive acts, noting that such actions waste critical security resources, divert attention from genuine emergencies, create unnecessary panic, and undermine public confidence.
ASP Ikoedem emphasised that anyone caught in such acts will be prosecuted and reaffirmed the command’s commitment to technology-driven policing, aggressive forest domination, and intelligence-led operations to dismantle criminal networks across Edo state.
