The officers of the Lagos State Police Command have arrested two students for allegedly faking their kidnap in the state.
The command’s spokesperson, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, who confirmed the arrest, said the students also demanded $100,000 (about N150 million) ransom from their parents.
Hundeyin identified the suspects as 21-year-old Ayodele Balogun, a 200-level student of Education at the Lagos State University (LASU); and his friend, Dennis Okuomo, 21, a student of the National Institute of Information Technology (NIIT), Lagos.
The police spokesman said the students faked their kidnap and demanded N150 million to assist their friend, Ayodele, who is from a poor family.
“It was Dennis’s idea because Ayodele is from a poor family and his best friend; he wanted to use it to raise money for him so that he can be able to take care of his family,” he said.
Hundeyin stated that Ayodele, on February 2, disappeared from home, while Dennis used his (Ayodele) phone to inform his father (Mr Balogun) of his son’s faked kidnap and demanded $20,000 ransom.
Hundeyin said the suspects directed Ayodele’s father to pay the ransom through Bitcoin, which wallet they had sent him while Ayodele was hiding in Dennis’ room in his (Dennis) father’s hotel.
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“Ayodele’s father, a driver with a private company, received the message with many worries, wondering where to raise $20,000,” the police spokesperson added.
Hundeyin said when Balogun could not raise the money, Dennis decided to also fake his own kidnap and demanded $100,000 from his father.
According to him, both students decided to leave the hotel to hide in a bush and remained there for five days while the negotiation and investigation were ongoing.
He noted: “On March 16, as no money was paid and the suspects were not comfortable with the condition of the bush, they decided to return to Dennis’ room in his father’s hotel.
“They told everybody that they just escaped from kidnappers’ den and quickly called Ayodele’s father to inform him about their purported escape from kidnappers’ den.
“They took Ayodele to the hospital believing that he just came from kidnappers’ den.
“Investigation so far revealed that the suspects faked their kidnap. They are in our custody.”
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