Police arrest scrap dealer over alleged self-kidnap plot

Operatives of the Lagos State Police Command have arrested a scrap dealer for allegedly masterminding his own kidnap in a bid to extort money from family members. The suspect, identified as Adamu Abdullahi, was said to have been declared missing after his brother reported at a police station that his whereabouts could not be traced. […]

Operatives of the Lagos State Police Command have arrested a scrap dealer for allegedly masterminding his own kidnap in a bid to extort money from family members.

The suspect, identified as Adamu Abdullahi, was said to have been declared missing after his brother reported at a police station that his whereabouts could not be traced.

Our correspondent learnt that police investigations later revealed that the purported victim had allegedly staged the abduction with the assistance of accomplices. 

A video subsequently surfaced showing the suspect appearing distressed while pleading for ransom to secure his release.

Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, CP Tijani Fatai, confirmed the report saying that intelligence gathering and further investigations uncovered inconsistencies in the kidnap narrative, leading detectives to unravel what authorities described as a self-kidnap scheme designed to obtain money from relatives.

He said the suspect was later apprehended alongside other accomplices linked to the incident, while part of the N1.5 million ransom money allegedly obtained through the staged abduction was recovered by investigators.

“The suspects would be charged to court upon completion of investigations,” he said.

He urged members of the public to desist from engaging in criminal acts capable of causing panic and misleading security agencies.