Delta State police command arrests teen for staging own kidnap to extort mother
The Delta State Police Command has arrested a 17-year-old secondary school student, identified as Chiamaka, for allegedly orchestrating a fake kidnapping scheme to extort ₦500,000 from her mother.
Police spokesperson, SP Bright Edafe, disclosed the development in a video shared online, stating that the teenager carried out the plan with three friends.
According to the police, Chiamaka and her accomplices travelled from Ugolo to Port Harcourt, where they checked into a hotel and executed the scheme. While there, she allegedly called her widowed mother, claiming she had been abducted and demanding a ₦500,000 ransom.
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Her mother, described as a peasant farmer of modest means, reportedly borrowed money from various sources in a desperate attempt to secure her daughter’s release. She also reported the incident to the police, prompting an investigation.
Edafe said preliminary findings revealed that the alleged abduction was staged. “While in Port Harcourt, she called her mother and claimed she had been kidnapped, demanding money. Investigation showed it was not a genuine kidnapping,” he stated.
The suspect later confessed, admitting that she and her friends planned the act. She claimed she was pressured by the group to participate.
“Me and my friends planned to kidnap myself and collect money from my mother. I didn’t want to do it. It was because of my friends — they forced me,” she reportedly said, adding that the money was spent on buying clothes.
Edafe noted a growing trend of self-staged kidnappings among youths aged 15 to 20, revealing that one of the suspect’s friends had previously carried out a similar scheme.
The teenager remains in police custody, while authorities continue efforts to apprehend the other individuals involved.
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