Enugu State Police Command has arrested a 21-year-old man, Chidera Ako, for allegedly masterminding his own abduction and extorting ₦2 million in ransom from his unsuspecting parents.
According to a statement issued on Tuesday by the Command’s spokesperson, SP Daniel Ndukwe, Ako was arrested alongside three accomplices by operatives attached to the Nsukka Sector of the Anti-Cultism Tactical Squad.
Ndukwe said the arrest took place on May 24 around 1 p.m. and involved suspects identified as Chidera Ako, 21; Chidalu Okechukwu, 19; Ifeanyi Ugwu, 20; and Ossai Chigozie, 35 — a recently released ex-convict from the Nigerian Correctional Service.
He disclosed that the group was nabbed for criminal conspiracy, staging a fake abduction, and defrauding Ako’s parents of ₦2 million.
Daniel noted that Ako was reported missing on May 4.
The statement read, “Subsequently, on May 21, his accomplices used his phone to demand a ₦10 million ransom from his parents, sending a video of him bound, appearing beaten, with the recovered gun pointed at him.
“The parents pleaded for his release and paid ₦1.5 million into a provided account on May 22, but the suspects failed to release him.
“After an additional ₦.5 million payment, the police operatives swiftly arrested Ako and his accomplices at a POS centre during their attempt to withdraw the money.”
According to Daniel, the suspects have confessed to the crime and will be arraigned upon completion of the ongoing investigations.
The spokesperson explained that the Commissioner of Police (CP), Mr Mamman Giwa, who described the criminal act as unfortunate, had ordered further detention of anyone linked to the crime.
However, the CP charged the public to report suspected kidnap cases immediately and avoid hasty ransom payment.
