The Lagos State Police Command has arrested one Collins Ikwebe, a 20-year-old man for purportedly faking his own kidnap and demanding ransom from his father.
Collins, alongside a male friend and four female collaborators, whose identities were not revealed, were taken into custody for allegedly planning the scheme.
The Police Public Relations Officer for Lagos State Police Command, Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed the arrest of the suspects and refuted an allegation of unlawful detention made by one of them.
The reports said that the statement from Hundeyin followed a widely circulated post by an X.com user, @Flacko TG, who asserted that he was being held at the Ikeja Police Division without cause and sought to inform the public of his situation.
“Guys, I’m locked up in the Ikeja police station. I don’t have enough time, and I don’t know what to do. So, this is my only alternative, so, y’all know what happened to me.
“Someone faked his kidnapping and requested (a) ransom from his dad. His dad reported the case to SARS, and they tracked his phone.
“I genuinely knew nothing about it until I reached the station. His dad came to the station and requested his release, but they insisted on trying the case in court, which could take up to three years to resolve. Other people who were in the apartment with him were locked up as well,” the netizen noted.
In response to the assertion made by the X user in the comment section, the spokesperson for the command clarified that the detained suspects had, indeed, demanded a ransom from Collin’s father, after carrying out their plan.
Hundeyin disclosed that the 20-year-old had fabricated his own abduction, while residing with the other suspects in a temporary apartment in the Lekki region of Lagos, prior to their apprehension.
He stated, “Following a report from his family, our investigation established that 20-year-old Collins Oluchukwu Ikwebe faked his own kidnapping. His dad received several calls from Collins’ number but with different voices, giving instructions on what amount of money to be paid and methods of payment.
“At different times, spanning two weeks, different sums —$500,000, $200,000, N2,000,000, N50,000, and N30,000— were requested from Collins’ dad.
“On Thursday, June 20, 2024, detectives of the Lagos State Police Command eventually busted a short-let four-bedroom apartment in Lekki, where Collins and five of his schoolmates (one male, four females) had been staying for the past ten days.”
Hundeyin further noted that none of the suspects had been exonerated yet, noting that “investigation is being concluded to establish the extent of culpability of the other five occupants of the apartment.”
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