The Abia State Police Command has arrested a Senior Secondary School 3 (SS3) student in Abia State for allegedly faking self-kidnap to extort money from his mother.
The 17 years old suspect, identified as Obinna Nwatu, a native of Obikabia in Isiala Ngwa North council area, reportedly hid at a hotel in Aba.
Speaking to journalists on Friday, the Abia Commissioner of Police, CP Janet Agbede, said the incident was reported by the suspect’s younger brother, Wisdom Nwatu.
According to her, Wisdom had said his brother was kidnapped along Stadium Road, Okpuala Ngwa, by unknown hoodlums when he went to buy a recharge card.
She stated that after an investigation was conducted, the anti-kidnapping unit of the Command arrested a Chinaza Favour Ukaigwe, whose bank account was used to receive a ransom of Two hundred thousand naira (N200,000).
“Anti-kidnapping unit of the Command, while investigating the case, on October 4, arrested one Chinaza, aged 19, whose bank account was used to receive a ransom of N200, 000.
“It was Chinaza Favour Ukaigwe that revealed that the supposed victim faked his own kidnap.
“The boy and one Favour came to his (Chinaza) shop at Aba Road and requested that he should give his bank account to enable them to receive the school fees of their young sister.
“Investigation further revealed that Obinna Nwatu and Favour Ugorji received through the account the sum of N200 000 paid in as a ransom by Mrs. Rose Nwatu (mother of the ‘victim’).”
Speaking further, the CP disclosed that the suspect had confessed to faking his kidnap because his mother is too stingy.
Obinna Nwatu, who also spoke to newsmen, said, “I was deceived by a bad friend, Favour Ugorji a.k.a ‘Wizzy’. I met Favour Ugorji online in 2017 but have never been to his house or know more of him than Facebook conversations.
“I was not actually kidnapped. He asked me to fake the kidnap so that we could get money from my mother.
“I conspired with him to deliberately go into hiding at a hotel along with Rhema University Road, Aba.
“When we got the N200 000 ransom, we made an agreement that I should not go home with money, that he will send my share through my bank account.
“But when I got home and called him, his phone number was not going, he is no longer using the SIM card again.”
The CP advised parents and guardians to closely monitor their children and wards while urging the public to volunteer information about suspicious activities around them.
