A couple in Lagos simply identified as Fred and Goodness have been arrested for faking their kidnap to extort N10m in ransom from well-wishers.
The narrative around it has it that the couple went into hiding on January 7 to claim that they had been abducted, reaching out to families and friends who went on to contribute N10m which they said their abductors demanded as ransom.
The money, according to police sources was raised within three days to ‘secure their release’.
Sources said that the ransom was handed to the woman for onward delivery to their abductors at a location around Cappa in Mushin area of the state.
It was gathered that operatives familiar with the matter saw through the couple’s deception when upon collecting the sum, the wife went inside a place and moment after her husband arrived and both were sighted carrying a bag out of the place.
The suspicion it arose, made the police to accost them, and in the process the shenanigans was discovered as the bag contained the ransom.
Under interrogation in police custody where they were while filing this report, sources said their grounds of taking into self-kidnap was to raise money for the husband to return to United States.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Adebisi, confirmed the incident.
“The couple will be charged to court upon the conclusion of investigations,” Adebisi said.
