Olusgun Ariyo
A 23-year-old woman, identified as Nmesoma Josephine Nwoye, has allegedly faked her own abduction to extort money from her parents.
Urban Express News learnt that the staged abduction was carried out in connivance with her boyfriend, 24-year-old Chibuike Ogbu.
Both suspects were arrested on Friday by operatives of the Anambra State Police Command, with a total of N1.2 million recovered from them as part of the ransom earlier paid by the young woman’s parents.
This was disclosed in a press statement made available to Urban Express News Online by the spokesperson of the Anambra State Police Command, SP Tochukwu Ikenga.
Although details of the exact location of the arrest, as well as the crime scene and the victims’ place of origin, were not provided, Ikenga revealed that the suspects had initially demanded a ransom of N15 million from Nmesoma’s parents but later settled for N3 million, which was transferred into her account.
The statement read: “The suspects identified as Nmesoma Josephine Nwoye, female, aged 23 years, and Chibuike Ogbu, male, aged 24 years, were arrested after intelligence-led operations uncovered that the supposed victim conspired with Chibuike (her boyfriend) to stage her own abduction.
“The operatives also recovered the sum of N1,200,000 (one million and two hundred thousand naira), being part of the ransom earlier paid by the girl’s family members.
“Further information reveals that the suspects demanded N15,000,000 (fifteen million naira) ransom, and after negotiation, N3,000,000 (three million naira) was transferred into the victim’s account.”
Anambra State Commissioner of Police Ikioye Orutugu was quoted in the statement as attributing such crimes to rising moral decay in society, warning that many young people are increasingly resorting to criminality for selfish gains.
He urged parents, guardians, and religious leaders to intensify efforts to instil discipline, integrity, and sound values in their children and wards.
