The Police Command in Lagos State have arrested a 19-year-old woman, Dorcas Adilewa, who planned her kidnap to defraud her father.
The suspect hatched the plan in connivance with one Ifeoluwa Ogunbanjo, her friend, who provided location and a phone to contact her parents.
The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr Imohimi Edgal, said that the suspects were arrested on July 13 following a report by the suspect’s father at Ketu Police Station.
“On July 7 at about 5 p.m., Adilewa Taiwo of No. 3, Kosumi Lane, Bello-Ketu, Lagos, reported at Ketu Police Station that he received a call from phone number 09057432362.
“He was told that his daughter, Dorcas Adilewa, was being held hostage and that if he does not want her killed, he should pay a ransom of N600,000 to secure her release.
“Investigation into the case was immediately commenced and the above phone number that was used by the suspects was geo-located to Ijebu-Igbo area of Ogun State.
“The O/C Anti-Kidnapping led his operatives to Ijebu-Igbo on July 12 and combed the area in search of the supposed victim till the following morning.”
The commissioner said that while the search was ongoing at Ijebu-Igbo, the location of the supposed kidnappers changed to Ikotun in Lagos and the search party had to move from Ijebu-Igbo to IKotun in Lagos to rescue the victim.
“When the fake kidnappers realised that the Police were closing in on them, the supposed victim decided to call the complainant to inform him that she has been released, after he had deposited the sum of N8,000 naira in her UBA account number: 2087804991.”
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Imohimi said that when Adilewa was being debriefed upon her release, she confessed that she actually planned the fake kidnap with her friend, one Ogunbanjo.
“She provided her with accommodation at No. 174, Adeboye Road, Okesopin, Ijebu Igbo in Ogun State to hide and the phone that they used in demanding for the ransom.
“Investigation is in progress and on completion, the suspects will be charged to court accordingly,” the commissioner said.
Meanwhile, the police in Lagos have arrested Jacob Dare for alleged attempted kidnapping.
Imohimi said that case was reported at Ayobo Division, Lagos, on July 17 by Ebhoboghe Rufus.
He said that the suspect had attempted to kidnap the complainant’s daughter at the Christ Anointed Church, Ayobo, Lagos.
The commissioner said the suspect who was not a member of the church, attempted to kidnap the complainant’s daughter by luring her to follow him with a gift of N50 note.
He said that the suspect attempted to escape from the scene of the incident before he was arrested by members of the church.
Imohimi said that the suspect who was pretending to be insane, later abandoned his art of trickery and admitted that he was of sound mind and he only went to the church to worship.
“He then cunningly defended his act of luring the little girl with a N50 note by claiming that he was only asking for direction from the little girl and her mother,” he said.
