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The Lagos State Police Command says it has arrested five suspects over a staged kidnapping that involved a viral video of a schoolboy pleading for his life.
Police said the incident, which went viral and caused public concern online, was a fake kidnapping “deliberately orchestrated” by the victim himself and his friends in an attempt to extort money from his mother.
“The suspects who faked the kidnapping incident were arrested and are now in police custody. They are Kosiko Patrick ‘m,’ 17 years; Victor Aligwo ‘m,’ 15 years; David Odudu ‘m,’ 19 years; Anyabike Kingsley ‘m,’ 20 years; and Umeh Victor ‘m,’ 19 years,” police spokesperson Abimbola Adebisi said in a statement issued on Friday, December 19.
Adebisi also disclosed that “investigation into the matter is ongoing,” noting that the case was first reported on November 26 as a missing person incident at the Ago Palace police division.
According to Adebisi, subsequent investigations by the command’s anti-kidnapping unit later suggested that the supposed victim, identified as Victor Aligwo, had conspired with friends to fake the abduction.
The policewoman said the suspects recorded and circulated a distress video showing the boy pleading for help after learning that his mother had recently received ₦4 million from a contribution.
“To actualise and make the fake kidnapping real, the suspects recorded and circulated a distress video showing Victor Aligwo pleading for help, thereby creating fear and panic in the mind of his mother and his family to pay ransom to the alleged kidnappers.”
She disclosed that a ransom of 1.7 million naira was paid and transferred through a point-of-sale terminal linked to one of the suspects before being shared among the group.
“The money was later shared amongst them. Following the payment, the police operatives traced the Point-of-Sale (POS) terminal used for the ransom transaction, leading to the arrest of all suspects involved.”
Adebisi announced that all the suspects, aged between 15 and 20, will be charged before a court of competent jurisdiction for their prosecution.
