The Lagos State Police Command has arrested five suspects, including four teenagers aged between 15 and 19, for allegedly staging a fake kidnapping and circulating a distress video to extort money from the family of a schoolboy.
The suspects were arrested on 17 and 18 December at the Volkswagen Roundabout and the Ago Palace area of the state by operatives of the command’s Anti-Kidnapping Tactical Squad.
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In a statement posted on its X handle, the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Adebisi, said the case was initially reported on 26 November at the Ago Palace Police Division as a missing-person complaint after a video showing a schoolboy pleading for help went viral on social media, triggering public concern.
Preliminary investigations, however, revealed that the alleged kidnapping was staged by the supposed victim, a 15-year-old (name withheld), in collaboration with four of his friends, the police said.
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According to the police, the suspects carried out the act in the room of one of their associates, Umeh Victor, where a fake kidnappers’ den was arranged and the distress video recorded.
Those arrested include the 15-year-old supposed victim and another 17-year-old friend of his (name withheld). The rest are Umeh Victor, 19, whose room was allegedly used as the supposed hideout for the fake kidnap activities, David Odudu, 19; and Anyabike Kingsley, 20.
Further investigations showed that the suspects allegedly conspired to extort money from Mr Aligwo’s mother, who had recently received about N4 million from a contribution.
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“To make the fake kidnapping appear real, the suspects recorded and circulated a distress video showing Victor Aligwo pleading for help, thereby creating fear and panic in the mind of his mother and family,” the police said.
The police disclosed that a ransom of N1.7 million was paid and transferred to the bank account of one of the suspects before the boy was released, after which the money was allegedly shared among them.
Investigators said they traced the Point-of-Sale terminal used for the ransom transaction, leading to the arrest of all five suspects.
The suspects are currently in police custody and will be charged before a court of competent jurisdiction after the conclusion of investigations, the police said.
The Commissioner of Police in Lagos State, Olohundare Jimoh, warned criminal elements to desist from all forms of crime, assuring residents that the command would continue to ensure the safety of lives and property.
He also urged members of the public not to panic over unverified social media content and to report suspicious activities through the command’s emergency lines.
Fake kidnap videos
The Lagos State Police Command has, in recent years, debunked several viral videos alleging kidnapping incidents in parts of the state, warning that misinformation can incite panic and threaten public safety.
READ ALSO: Tinubu asks APC governors to back state police, local government autonomy
In March 2024, detectives of the command arrested four individuals, including the supposed victim, over the alleged orchestration of a fake kidnapping in which a distress video was sent to the victim’s family to demand a N5 million ransom.
Police have repeatedly cautioned residents against spreading unverified information on social media, stressing that false narratives can disrupt public peace and endanger innocent lives.
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