Five arrested after man fakes own kidnap, demands $700,000, N2.08m from father

The Lagos State Police Command has arrested a 20-year-old man, Collins Oluchukwu Ikwebe, for allegedly faking his kidnapping and demanding ransom from his father.

Police spokesperson in the state, Benjamin Hundeyin, said this on Saturday while reacting to a post by an X user with the handle @FlackoT.

“Guys I’m locked up in Ikeja police station. I don’t have enough time and don’t know what to do so this is my only alternative so y’all know what happened to me,” the post read.

“Someone faked his kidnapping and requested ransom from his dad. His dad reported the case to SARs, they tracked his phone.

“I genuinely knew nothing about it until I reached the station. His dad came to the station and requested his release but they insisted on taking the case to court which could take up to three years to resolve. Other people that were in the apartment with him are locked up as well.”

Responding to the post, Hundeyin explained why the youths were detained, stating that Ikwebe’s family reported the
incident, leading to an investigation that revealed the young man had staged his own kidnapping.

Hundeyin said Ikwebe’s father received multiple calls from his son’s number, with different voices demanding various sums of money, including $500,000, $200,000, N2,000,000, N50,000, and N30,000 over a two-week period.

He added that on June 20, 2024, detectives discovered Ikwebe and five of his schoolmates, including one male and four females, in a short-let apartment in Lekki, where they had been staying for 10 days.

The police have detained all six occupants of the apartment, and an investigation is ongoing to determine the extent of their involvement in the alleged kidnapping scheme.

The police spokesperson wrote, “Following a report from his family, our investigation established that 20-year-old Collins Oluchukwu Ikwebe faked his own kidnap. His dad received several calls from Collins’ number but with different voices giving instructions on what amount of money to be paid and methods of payment,”

“At different times spanning two weeks, different sums — $500,000; $200,000; N2,000,000; N50,000 and N30,000 — were requested from Collins’ dad.

“On Thursday, June 20, 2024, detectives of the Lagos State Police Command eventually busted a short-let four-bedroom apartment in Lekki where Collins and five of his schoolmates (one male, four females) had been staying for the past ten days.

“Investigation is being concluded to establish the extent of culpability of the other five occupants of the apartment. For now, none of the suspects has been exonerated.”