No fewer than four suspects have been arrested by the Lagos State Police Command for staging a kidnapping.
Benjamin Hundeyin, the command’s public relations officer, confirmed this in a statement on Friday.
The statement partly read, “Detectives of the Lagos States Police Command have arrested Margret Itodo ‘f’ aged 25, Agnes Ogbeh ‘f’ aged 23, Esther Anyanwu ‘f’ aged 24, and Anthony Chinakwe’m’ aged 24 for faking the kidnapping of Agnes Ogbeh.
“On March 19, 2024, Agnes Ogbeh, a resident of Akure, travelled to Lagos and was reportedly kidnapped in Lagos.
“The family back in Akure received a video showing Agnes and one other tied, gagged, and groaning with blood droplets around them.
“The ‘kidnappers’ demanded N5 million for the release of Agnes.
“Upon receipt of the complaint, detectives of the command commenced a discreet and diligent investigation into the matter.
“The hideout was located where Agnes, the other lady in the video, and two others were found living freely together.
“Further investigations revealed that Margaret Itodo is a professional make-up artist who was hired to make the video look real.”
According to the statement, all four suspects have made confessional confessions and will be arraigned at the completion of the inquiry.
It was reported in January that the Nigerian Police Force’s Lagos, Abuja, and Plateau Commands apprehended three people for allegedly staging their kidnapping.
The suspects included a couple from Lagos who staged a kidnapping to extort money from their family members.
