A 16-year-old SS2 student at a private secondary school in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, has faked her own kidnapping.
The spokesperson of the Ebonyi State Police Command, SP Joshua Ukandu, said the teenage girl allegedly contacted a family member claiming she had been kidnapped and demanded a ransom of N2 million for her release.
Speaking with reporters on Monday, the police public relations officer stated that a family friend helped the teenage girl plan the hoax.
The girl told police she had gone to buy second-hand clothes, known locally as ‘Okirika’, when someone tapped her from behind.
She claimed to have lost consciousness and woke up the next day at Ishieke Junction in Ebonyi Local Government Area.
Upon regaining consciousness, she asked for directions back to Abakaliki town.
Instead of returning home, she went to the house of a family friend who had no idea she was missing.
Using the man’s phone, she messaged her brother, claiming she had been kidnapped and demanded N2 million ransom.
Her brother asked to speak with the kidnappers and requested their location, but she refused and blocked his number.
Later, she unblocked his number and sent an account number belonging to the family friend hosting her.
Unluckily for her, the phone was tracked.
Police raided the house and arrested everyone involved in the plot.
The police spokesperson confirmed that the command had launched a full investigation into the incident.
Though the matter remains under police investigation, the girl has since been reunited with her family due to her age.
