The Lagos State Police Command has arrested four persons for staging the abduction of a lady identified as Agnes Ogbeh.
It said the suspects included the alleged victim, Ogbeh, and three others identified as Margaret Itodo (25), Esther Anyanwu (24), and Anthony Chinakwe (24).
The Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, who confirmed the arrests in a statement with a video of the fake kidnapping posted on his official X account on Friday.
He explained that on March 19, 2024, Ogbeh, a resident of Akure, Ondo State, had travelled to Lagos and was reportedly kidnapped in Lagos.
He said her family in Akure received a video showing Agnes and one other person tied, gagged, and groaning with blood droplets around them, as development which turned out to be fake.
“The ‘kidnappers’ demanded the sum of N5m for the release of Agnes. Upon receipt of the complaint, detectives of the command commenced a discreet and diligent investigation into the matter.
“The hideout was located where Agnes, the other lady in the video, and two others were found living freely together.
“Further investigations revealed that Margaret Itodo is a professional make-up artist who was hired to make the video look real. All four have made confessional statements and are to be arraigned at the conclusion of the investigation,” the statement added.
