. Police say cases of fake kidnaps are on the rise
By Toby TAIWO
When a lady came on X a few days ago to tearfully cry for help for Nigerians to help raise a 50 million Naira ransom for her kidnapped mother, little did Nigerians know that it was all a scam.
A few days after the drama, after which an unverified sum of money had been transferred to her account, the young lady came back to drop the bombshell: that her mother was never kidnapped. That, in fact, she orchestrated her own kidnapping. All the while, she was in her boyfriend’s house, enjoying herself.
The fair-skinned lady in his second video, posted on X, within one week, posted on X begging for understanding from well-meaning Nigerians who had believed her and sent money to her.
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She said: “Nigerians, please forgive me, I made a video a few days ago asking for a donation of N50 million naira because my biological mother was kidnapped, and we needed money to help rescue her, and you all did. Unfortunately, the Nigerian Police have started their investigations, and they discovered my mother was not kidnapped, but she was with her boyfriend, and she was part of the people who staged her own kidnapping just to extort money from the General public. I am deeply sorry and sad. I don’t know anything about this plan; I only cried out as a daughter who doesn’t want her mum to be killed. Please forgive me, and I promised to keep you guys updated as things go forward.”
In the same vein The Lagos State Police Command says the spate of staged kidnappings and ransom scams is on the rise, especially in the Lagos Metropolis.
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Police spokesperson, SP Abimbola Adebisi, disclosed this on Sunday, saying several viral kidnapping videos were discovered to be carefully planned fraud schemes.
She said Area Commanders and Divisional Police Officers had also been directed to work closely with community leaders to improve intelligence sharing.
“The command is closely monitoring reports on social media and other platforms to promptly verify and address any incident that may cause public anxiety,” she said.
According to her, recent investigations uncovered multiple fake abductions staged to extort money from relatives.
She cited a case involving a 26-year-old housewife whose husband in South Africa was made to believe she had been kidnapped in Lagos.
The suspects demanded N10 million ransom, which was negotiated to N3 million. The husband eventually paid N2.5 million, yet the supposed victim was not released.
Police investigations later revealed the woman staged the abduction with an accomplice in Osun State, using a SIM card to negotiate the ransom on WhatsApp.
“The alleged victim later confessed, and even the iPhone she claimed was stolen had already been sold,” Adebisi said.
In another case, police arrested five suspects aged 15 to 20 for staging a fake kidnapping that went viral online.
Investigators found that a 15-year-old boy, assisted by four friends, faked his own abduction to extort N1.7 million from his mother.
The plot was uncovered after detectives traced the ransom payment through a POS terminal.
Police also arrested a young couple for allegedly faking the wife’s kidnap to demand N10 million from relatives and friends.
The woman later admitted it was a “prank kidnapping” to help her husband, who was frustrated over failed attempts to return to the United States.
Adebisi urged residents to verify distress calls before transferring money and to report suspicious activities promptly.
She warned against false reporting and deception, saying such acts divert critical security resources.
The police advised families to establish internal verification codes and maintain regular communication with loved ones.
Residents were asked to report emergencies through the command’s hotlines: 07061019374, 08065154338, 08063299264 and 08039344870.
