Lionel Allorge, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Operatives attached to the Delta State Police Command have apprehended a 23-year-old man in Asaba following allegations that he staged the kidnapping of his 16-year-old girlfriend to demand a ₦50 million ransom from her parents.
Disclosing details of the arrest, Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) SP Bright Edafe explained that the case was initially brought to the attention of law enforcement as a missing person report after the teenager disappeared from her family’s estate.
However, subsequent investigations revealed that the young girl had been taken by her boyfriend and kept at his residence for four days.
Suspect held teenager at riverside and framed innocent landlord
During police interrogation, the 16-year-old victim revealed that her boyfriend had previously pressured her to join a self-kidnapping scheme to extort money from her parents, a plan she repeatedly rejected.
She recounted that she only realized she was being actively extorted after her phone was taken by her boyfriend’s accomplice. Upon inspecting her device later, she discovered messages sent to her mother demanding money for her feeding.
Riverside threats: The girl stated that after confronting her boyfriend, she was taken to a nearby river where her legs were held touching the water, with suspects threatening to throw her in if her mother failed to pay ₦15 million.
False framing: The suspects also attempted to deflect law enforcement attention by implicating a co-landlord in the estate, identified as Mr. Theophilus. The man was detained for two days before police verified his innocence and released him.
Police highlight statutory violations and parental oversight
In his statement, the 23-year-old suspect admitted to discussing the ransom plot with an accomplice, claiming that his friend proceeded with the abduction after seeing the girl. He also admitted to keeping the minor at his house for four days.
SP Bright Edafe described the incident as deeply troubling, emphasising that beyond the abduction plot, the suspect was unlawfully involved in a sexual relationship with a minor.
The command urged parents and guardians to maintain closer monitoring of their children’s associations and daily activities to prevent similar occurrences.
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