Reported By Mary Udezue | Edited by: Gabriel Osa
Police in Lagos State have arrested a couple who allegedly staged their own self-kidnap to extort money from relatives and friends, in what authorities describe as a calculated ransom fraud aimed at financing the husband’s overseas travel. The pair, identified as Fred and Goodness, were detained after police uncovered that they had pretended to have been abducted and demanded a ₦10 million ransom purportedly to secure their release.
According to investigation details released by the Lagos State Police Command, the couple initiated the hoax on January 7, 2026, contacting members of both families and claiming they had been kidnapped. Officers say the conspirators insisted on payment of the ransom within three days, prompting anxious relatives to mobilise funds under the impression that the couple were in genuine peril.
Police operatives monitoring suspicious activity traced the ransom delivery location to a school premises in Cappa, Mushin area of Lagos, where the couple had instructed that the money be handed over. Surveillance teams observed the woman enter the site alone, followed by the husband shortly thereafter. Their behaviour raised immediate suspicions. Upon intercepting the pair and conducting a search of a bag they were carrying, officers found the ransom money, leading to their immediate arrest.
During questioning, the woman reportedly admitted that she had encouraged and participated in plotting the fake abduction. According to police sources, the motive was to raise funds for the husband’s planned return to the United States, where he intended to travel due to a lack of financial support. The staged kidnapping was presented as a desperate measure to secure the necessary money.
The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Abimbola Addebisi, confirmed the arrest and stated that preliminary investigations showed the incident was a deliberate deception. Officers are finalising probe activities and plan to charge the couple to court once the formal investigation is concluded.
This case adds to a growing pattern of self-orchestrated kidnapping scams in Nigeria, where individuals fabricate abduction incidents to extort money from their families or associates. Security officials have in recent years warned that such fraudulent claims not only constitute serious criminal offences but also divert critical police resources from responses to genuine threats.
Authorities continue to urge members of the public to verify distress alerts and avoid unverified ransom payments, stressing that the police should be involved promptly to validate and handle any reported abduction cases.
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