Lagos police foil fake kidnapping plot, arrest four

The Lagos State Police Command has foiled a staged kidnapping and arrested four people involved in the scheme.

The command’s Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, disclosed this in a statement on Friday.

The statement partly read, “Detectives of the Lagos States Police Command have arrested Margret Itodo ‘f’ aged 25, Agnes Ogbeh ‘f’ aged 23, Esther Anyanwu ‘f’ aged 24 and Anthony Chinakwe ‘m’ aged 24 for faking the kidnap of Agnes Ogbeh.

“On March 19, 2024, Agnes Ogbeh, resident in Akure, had travelled to Lagos and was reportedly kidnapped in Lagos.

“The family back in Akure received a video showing Agnes and one other tied, gagged, and groaning with blood droplets around them.

“The ‘kidnappers’ demanded N5m for the release of Agnes.

“Upon receipt of the complaint, detectives of the command commenced a discreet and diligent investigation into the matter.

“The hideout was located where Agnes, the other lady in the video and two others were found living freely together.

“Further investigations revealed that Margaret Itodo is a professional make-up artist who was hired to make the video look real.”

The statement added that all four suspects have made confessional statements and are to be arraigned at the conclusion of investigation.

According reported in January how the Nigerian Police Force, through its Lagos, Abuja, and Plateau Commands, arrested three suspects for allegedly staging their kidnapping.

The suspects included a couple in Lagos, who staged their kidnap to extort money from their family members.