In a shocking and unbelievable development, a 16-year-old SS2 student at one of the numerous private secondary schools in Abakaliki, capital of Ebonyi State, has faked her own kidnap and demanded N2 million as ransom, the Ebonyi State Police Command revealed on Monday.
The girl allegedly contacted a family member claiming she had been kidnapped and made a demand for N2 million as ransom for her release.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Ebonyi Command, SP Joshua Ukandu, told reporters that a family friend assisted her to plan the fake kidnap.
Ukandu said the girl, a native of Izzi Local Government Area, attends a privately-owned school located on Watchman Street in Abakaliki and was due to return to school for the third term on Saturday.
She told the police she had gone to buy second-hand clothes, known locally as ‘Okirika’, when someone tapped her from behind.
She claimed to have lost consciousness and woke up the next day at Ishieke Junction in Ebonyi Local Government Area.
She added that she often dreams of being kidnapped, and her mother regularly prays against it.
Upon regaining consciousness, she asked for directions back to Abakaliki town.
Instead of returning home, she went to the house of a family friend who had no idea she was missing.
Using the man’s phone, she messaged her brother, claiming she had been kidnapped and demanded N2 million ransom.
Her brother asked to speak with the kidnappers and requested their location, but she refused and blocked his number.
Later, she unblocked his number and sent an account number belonging to the family friend hosting her.
Unluckily for her, the phone was tracked. Police raided the house house and arrested everyone involved in the plot.
SP Ukandu confirmed that the command has launched a full scale investigation into the incident.
The girl has since been reunited with her family, though the matter remains under police investigation due to her age.
