16-Year-Old Ebonyi Student Stages Own Kidnap, Demands ₦2m Ransom
A 16-year-old girl from Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, has shocked her community after allegedly faking her own kidnapping and demanding a ransom of ₦2 million from her family.
The girl, an SS2 student at a private secondary school on Watchman Street in Abakaliki, reportedly conspired with a family friend to stage the hoax.
According to the Police Public Relations Officer, Joshua Ukandu, the teenager contacted a family member claiming she had been kidnapped.
Her story was that she had gone out to buy second-hand clothes, commonly referred to as Okirika, when someone tapped her from behind. She claimed to have lost consciousness and later woke up at Ishieke Junction in Ebonyi Local Government Area.
Instead of returning home, the girl went to the home of a family friend who was unaware of the alleged kidnapping. Using his phone, she sent a message to her brother, stating that she had been abducted and that the kidnappers were demanding a ₦2 million ransom for her release.
When her brother asked to speak to the kidnappers and requested their location, she refused and blocked his number. Later, she unblocked him and sent an account number, belonging to the unsuspecting family friend, where the ransom money should be paid.
The police were able to trace the phone used to send the messages, leading them to the house where she was staying. A raid was carried out, and everyone involved in the plot was arrested.
Ukandu confirmed that the police have launched a full investigation into the incident. The girl has since been reunited with her family.
