SS2 STUDENT FAKES OWN KIDNAP, DEMANDS N2M RANSOM IN EBONYI
In a bizarre twist of events, a 16-year-old SS2 student of a private secondary school in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, has been apprehended by the police for allegedly faking her own abduction and demanding a ransom of N2 million from her family.
The teenage girl, a native of Izzi Local Government Area, reportedly conspired with a family friend to stage the hoax just days before the commencement of her school’s third term on Saturday, May 10.
Ebonyi State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Joshua Ukandu, confirmed the incident in a press briefing on Monday. According to him, the girl contacted her brother using the phone of the family friend, falsely claiming she had been kidnapped and was being held for ransom.
Her brother, suspicious of the narrative, asked to speak with the supposed abductors and requested their location. When she declined and blocked his number, he alerted authorities. The girl later unblocked the number and forwarded an account number—belonging to the same family friend—to facilitate the ransom payment.
“She claimed she had gone to buy second-hand clothes, popularly known as Okirika, when she was tapped from behind and blacked out,” Ukandu narrated. “She told us she regained consciousness at Ishieke Junction and asked for directions back to Abakaliki. But instead of returning home, she went to a family friend’s house, who was unaware of her stunt.”
According to the police, the number used to send the ransom message was tracked to the location, leading to a swift raid and arrest of all those involved.
SP Ukandu said the teenager has been reunited with her family, but the matter remains under investigation due to her age and the criminal nature of the act.
Authorities have urged parents and guardians to pay closer attention to their children’s mental and emotional well-being, stressing the seriousness of false kidnapping claims in a country grappling with real cases of insecurity.
