In a startling case of deception, the Anambra State Police Command has apprehended a 23-year-old man and his 24-year-old girlfriend for orchestrating a fake kidnapping in Awkuzu, Oyi Local Government Area.
The arrests were announced in a statement by the Command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, on Saturday in Awka.
Ikenga revealed that intelligence-driven operations uncovered the couple’s scheme, in which the supposed victim collaborated with her boyfriend to stage her own abduction.
“Our operatives recovered ₦1.2 million, part of the ransom paid by the girl’s family,” Ikenga stated.
He added that the suspects initially demanded ₦15 million, but after negotiations, ₦3 million was transferred to the woman’s account.
The operation was executed by the Rapid Response Squad in Awkuzu.
The state’s Commissioner of Police, Ikioye Orutugu, expressed alarm at the incident, describing it as a sign of growing moral decline.
“This case highlights a troubling trend of young people turning to crime for selfish motives,” Orutugu said.
He called on parents, guardians, and religious leaders to instill discipline and ethical values in the youth, warning that “the law will relentlessly pursue those who engage in such deceptive schemes, no matter how cunning they appear.”
