A 22-year-old man has been arrested in Delta State for allegedly staging his own kidnap and demanding a N25 million ransom from his family.
Also, the police have rescued a two-week-old baby from suspected child traffickers and arrested two persons accused of spreading false information online.
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The developments were contained in a statement sent to PREMIUM TIMES on Friday by the police spokesperson, in the state, Bright Edafe.
Mr Edafe, a superintendent of police, said it was the outcome of a press briefing addressed by the Commissioner of Police, Yemi Oyeniyi, in Asaba.
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Mr Oyeniyi said the command remained committed to protecting lives and property through intelligence-led policing and diligent investigations.
“The police in Delta State remain steadfast in its commitment to protecting lives and properties, enforcing law and order, and ensuring that offenders are brought to justice.”
Man allegedly faked own abduction
The commissioner said the command received a distress report on 1 July at about 7:30 a.m. that Michael James, 22, went out along Idumuesah/Owa-Alero Road to dispose of refuse but failed to return home.
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According to the report, his family later received a N25 million ransom demand from persons claiming to have abducted him.
Mr Oyeniyi said police operatives deployed to the area relied on technically generated intelligence to cordon off surrounding bushes where the suspect was believed to be hiding.
“On noticing that they were closing in on him, suspect suddenly came out from the bush claiming he escaped from his abductors,” he said.
However, during interrogation, the suspect allegedly confessed to orchestrating the abduction, the police said.
“He further stated that he spent certain money given to him by his sister, hence he planned his own kidnap so he could raise and replace the said money.”
The police said the suspect would remain in custody while investigations continue.
Two-week-old baby rescued
In a separate operation, operatives attached to the Ozoro Division rescued a two-week-old baby boy and arrested two women over alleged child trafficking.
According to the police, the baby’s mother reported that after giving birth on 15 June, a woman identified only as “Mama,” with whom she lived and worked with, told her the baby would be taken to an orphanage.
The mother became suspicious after she was repeatedly denied access to the child before she reported the matter to the police.
The commissioner said investigations led to the arrest of Evelyn Otubo and Esther Joseph, who were allegedly in possession of the baby while waiting for an intended buyer.
The baby was rescued unharmed and reunited with the mother, police said.
Two arrested over false crash narrative
The command also announced the arrest of two suspects over the circulation of what it described as false reports linking police officers to a fatal road traffic crash that occurred on 27 June along the Ughelli-Patani Expressway near Setraco Company in Ughelli.
According to the commissioner, social media posts falsely claimed that police officers arrested a suspect driving an unregistered vehicle, took possession of the vehicle and later crashed it, resulting in the death of a woman.
Police investigations, however, established that the accident involved a newly purchased unregistered Mercedes-Benz GLK SUV allegedly driven by a civilian identified as Agofure Gift, 27.
The vehicle, the police said rammed into a commercial tricycle, killing Catherine Umokoro, 51, and leaving four other persons with varying degrees of injuries.
“At no time was any police vehicle, or police team involved in the accident, nor was the vehicle driven by a police officer,” Mr Oyeniyi said.
He said intelligence gathering and digital forensic investigations led to the arrest of Egoh Best Akpobome, 35, and Omonigho Jitobor, 42, who allegedly originated and disseminated the false narrative online.
The suspects remain in police custody and will be charged to court after investigations are concluded, he added.
READ ALSO: Lagos housewife fakes own kidnap, extorts N2.5m ransom from husband Police
Background
The latest arrests add to recent breakthroughs by the police command in Delta. In June, police arrested four suspected gun runners linked to investigations into the extrajudicial killing of Oghenemine Ogidi, and confirmed that dismissed officers implicated in the case would face prosecution.
Earlier in April, operatives arrested two suspected kidnappers who terrorised commuters along the Ughelli-Warri Road and recovered an AK-47 rifle with 36 rounds of live ammunition, underscoring the command’s sustained crackdown on crime across the state.
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