The Police Command in Lagos State have arrested one Dorcas Adilewa, 19-year-old, for allegedly masterminded her kidnap to defraud her father.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, the suspect executed the plan in connivance with one Ifeoluwa Ogunbanjo, her friend, who provided location and a phone to contact her parents.
Mr Imohimi Edgal, the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, 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.”
explaining further, 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.”
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.
