Teenager who contrived his kidnap, collected N1 million ransom from father arrested
The Adamawa State Police Command has arrested a 19-year-old boy, Israel Emmanuel, for staging his own kidnap and collecting N1 million ransom from his father.
According to the State Police Public Relations Officer, Suleiman Nguroje, the teenager with his three friends planned the fake abduction and kept him hidden for six days while they negotiated ransom with his father.
Nguroje said Israel Emmanuel confessed to the self-kidnapping drama and identified other accomplices, Fartaci Mustapha and Zakka Nuhu, both from Mubi North Local Government Area, and a third accomplice, Abdullhamid Mohammed, who is still at large.
Israel, who hails from Mararaba Mubi, allegedly met Zakka Nuhu at the Welcome to Mubi area of Mubi town and left for Muvir in Mubi North LGA to hide in Fartaci’s house.
Fartaci was said to have made telephone calls to Israel’s father, Emmanuel, telling him about the abduction of his son.
After Fartaci introduced himself to Emmanuel as one of the kidnappers, he handed over the phone to Israel and they communicated.
Israel told the father that he had been abducted and ransom was required to get him out.
After six days in Muvir, Israel returned to Mubi and regrouped with his other accomplices to mount pressure on his father until the father agreed to pay N1 million.
He detailed Fartaci and Abdulhamid to go to the bush in Mararaba Mubi to collect the ransom. The two met with Emmanuel, but it was Abdulhamid who took the money where it was kept for them.
To the dismay of the rest of the kidnapping plot, Abdulhamid declared N500,000 only as the amount the father paid as ransom for Israel’s release.
Israel returned home with N200,000 as his share of the N500,000 loot while Abdulhamid, who knew how he had betrayed his friends by keeping half of the loot to himself, promptly dropped out of sight, long before the police got into the matter.
The other suspects were arrested following a complaint made to the Adamawa State Police Command by Israel’s father, Emmanuel, who at the time did not know that it was his son who abducted himself.
The PPRO assured that the suspects would be charged in court.
