Police arrest teenage victim of viral abduction incident in Lagos
Four of his friends also picked up for fake abduction
The Lagos State Police Command has arrested the 15-year-old boy in a viral abduction video that circulated recently in Lagos.
The police also arrested four of his friends after an investigation revealed that the viral abduction video was staged for the purpose of extortion.
The schoolboy appeared in a viral video last month, where he was seen pleading for his life from what was presented as a kidnappers’ hideout.
Police were to later discover that the entire thing was planned by the schoolboy and his friends to extort his mother.
Their arrests were carried out by operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Tactical Squad following an intelligence-driven and discreet investigation.
The suspects were apprehended between December 17 and 18, 2025, at the Volkswagen Roundabout and the Ago Palace area of Lagos.
The Command’s spokesperson, SP Abimbola Adebisi, confirmed the development in a statement issued on Thursday, December 19, 2025.
According to the police, the case was initially reported as a missing person incident at the Ago Palace Police Division on November 26, 2025. However, investigations later revealed that the alleged kidnapping was deliberately staged by the supposed victim, 15-year-old Victor Aligwo, in collaboration with four friends.
Police disclosed that the suspects used a room belonging to one of them, Umeh Victor, to simulate a kidnapper’s den where the distress video was recorded.
Those arrested were identified as Kosiko Patrick, 17; Victor Aligwo, 15; David Odudu, 19; Anyabike Kingsley, 20; and Umeh Victor, 19.
Further investigations revealed that the fake abduction was allegedly planned to extort money from Victor Aligwo’s mother, who had recently received a contribution of ₦4 million.
The suspects reportedly recorded and circulated the video to create panic and pressure the family into paying a ransom.
A ransom of ₦1.7 million was eventually paid and transferred into one of the suspects’ bank accounts. The proceeds were subsequently shared among the group.
Police said the transaction was traced through the Point-of-Sale (POS) terminal used to withdraw the funds, which ultimately led to the arrest of all the suspects.
Reacting to the development, the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, CP Olohundare Jimoh, warned residents against engaging in criminal activities, stressing that the Command would not tolerate acts that threaten public safety.
He reassured Lagos residents that the incident was not a genuine kidnapping and urged the public to remain calm while continuing their lawful activities.
He also encouraged residents to promptly report suspicious movements or activities through the Command’s emergency contact lines.
The police confirmed that investigations are ongoing and that all suspects will be charged before a court of competent jurisdiction upon conclusion of the investigation.
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