Operatives of the Enugu State Police Command have arrested four suspects for allegedly conspiring to stage a fake kidnapping and extort ₦2 million from the victim’s parents.
According to a statement released on tuesday by the Command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Daniel Ndukwe, the arrests were made on May 24, 2025, around 1 pm, by officers attached to the Nsukka Sector of the Anti-Cultism Tactical Squad.
The suspects include 21-year-old Chidera Godwin Ako, who reportedly faked his own abduction, along with Okechukwu Philip Chidalu, 19; Ifeanyi Ugwu, 20; and 35-year-old Ossai Chigozie, a recently released ex-convict.
A locally fabricated single-barrel gun and two live cartridges were recovered during the arrest.
Chidera was declared missing on May 4, 2025.
On May 21, his alleged accomplices used his phone to send a ransom demand of ₦10 million to his parents, along with a video showing him bound, appearing assaulted, and threatened with the recovered weapon.
The distraught parents transferred ₦1.5 million on May 22, but their son was not released.
After sending an additional ₦500,000, police tracked the suspects to a POS centre where they were attempting to withdraw the funds. All four were apprehended and reportedly confessed to the crime.
The Commissioner of Police, CP Mamman Bitrus Giwa, psc, described the incident as regrettable and directed further investigations to apprehend anyone else involved.
He also urged the public to immediately report suspected kidnappings and exercise caution before making ransom payments, noting that some incidents, as in this case, may be staged.
