By Izunna Okafor, Awka
The Anambra State Police Command has uncovered a case of self-kidnapping involving an 18-year-old girl who allegedly conspired with her boyfriend and others to extort millions of naira from her parents, in what could be described as one of several major breakthroughs recorded by the Command in ongoing investigations across the state within the last two weeks.
The incident, according to the Police, was uncovered by operatives of the Rapid Response Squad, Awkuzu, following intelligence-driven operations that led to the arrest of two suspects and the rescue of the girl, Miss Mmesoma Ifediora, who was found unharmed in a forest popularly known as Malaysia Forest located at Iruayika, Awkuzu. The Police further identified the arrested suspects as Chinedu Chineye Nwobi, aged 25, and Okwudili Nweke, aged 25, who were allegedly involved in the conspiracy surrounding the staged abduction.
Confirming the development in a statement issued to newsmen over the weekend, the Police Public Relations Officer of the Command, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, said investigation revealed that the supposed kidnapping was deliberately arranged by the victim in collaboration with her boyfriend, identified as Obiora Okoye, also known as “Stainless,” with the intention of extorting the sum of three million naira from her parents.
According to the statement, the victim confessed during interrogation that both of them took an oath of secrecy and kept moving from one location to another for about two months in order to sustain the false narrative that she had been abducted.
Police further disclosed that the suspect’s boyfriend fled upon sighting operatives during the operation and is currently at large, while efforts are ongoing to apprehend him.
The Command also revealed that the victim admitted that her parents had already paid the sum of two hundred and forty thousand naira into her Opay account as part of the ransom demanded before the plot was uncovered by security operatives.
According to the PPRO, items recovered during the operation include ten SIM cards of different networks, an MTN 4G Wi-Fi device, a mobile phone, computer cables, a white bandage allegedly used to tie the victim’s hands and eyes, female clothing, a necklace and a native calabash believed to have been used to create the impression of a real kidnapping, among other exhibits now in Police custody.
Similarly the Police Spokesman, in the statement, also announced another breakthrough recorded within the same period by the Command. He said operatives of the Rapid Response Squad also arrested a suspected kidnap gang leader, identified as Chukwuebuka Eze, aged 24, who was linked to a kidnapping incident in Obosi where victims were released only after ransom was paid.
The PPRO said the suspect, who bears a tattoo inscription on his chest reading “No weapon fashioned against me shall prosper,” was apprehended with a locally made double-barrel shotgun, five live cartridges and a mobile phone belonging to one of the victims.
According to the Command, the suspect confessed to the crime and provided useful information about other members of the gang who are currently on the run, adding that investigations are ongoing to ensure their arrest and prosecution. The Police noted that the recent successes were made possible through intensified intelligence gathering, strategic deployment of personnel and improved cooperation between security agencies and members of the public.
SP Ikenga said the Command, led by CP Ikioye Orutugu, assured that all suspects arrested in connection with the cases will be charged to court upon conclusion of investigation, even as he also reiterated its commitment to protecting lives and property and tackling criminal activities in all parts of the state.
