The Lagos State Police Command has arrested five suspects, including four teenagers aged between 15 and 19, for allegedly staging a fake kidnapping and circulating a distress video to extort money from the family of a schoolboy.
The arrests were carried out on December 17 and 18 at the Volkswagen Roundabout and the Ago Palace area of Lagos State by operatives of the command’s Anti-Kidnapping Tactical Squad.
In a statement posted on the command’s official X handle, the Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Adebisi, said the case was first reported on November 26 at the Ago Palace Police Division as a missing-person complaint. The report followed the circulation of a viral video showing a schoolboy pleading for help, which triggered widespread public concern.
Preliminary investigations, however, revealed that the alleged kidnapping was orchestrated by the supposed victim, a 15-year-old boy whose name was withheld, acting in concert with four of his friends. Police said the group staged the incident in the room of one of the suspects, Umeh Victor, where a makeshift kidnappers’ den was arranged and the distress video recorded.
Those arrested include the 15-year-old alleged victim and another 17-year-old accomplice, as well as Umeh Victor, 19, whose room was allegedly used as the fake hideout; David Odudu, 19; and Anyabike Kingsley, 20.
Investigators disclosed that the suspects conspired to extort money from the victim’s mother after learning she had recently received about N4 million from a contribution. To make the ruse convincing, the suspects recorded and circulated the distress video, creating fear and panic within the family.
Police said a ransom of N1.7 million was subsequently paid and transferred into the bank account of one of the suspects. The money was allegedly shared among the group after the boy was “released.”
Further investigations led detectives to trace the Point-of-Sale terminal used in processing the ransom payment, resulting in the arrest of all five suspects.
The suspects are currently in police custody and will be charged before a court of competent jurisdiction upon the conclusion of investigations.
Reacting to the development, the Commissioner of Police in Lagos State, Olohundare Jimoh, warned criminal elements to desist from all forms of crime, assuring residents that the command remains committed to safeguarding lives and property.
He also urged members of the public to avoid panic over unverified social media content and to promptly report suspicious activities through the command’s emergency lines.
The Lagos State Police Command noted that it has, in recent years, debunked several viral videos alleging kidnapping incidents across the state, warning that misinformation can incite panic and pose serious threats to public safety.
