By Izunna Okafor, Awka
The Anambra State Police Command has arrested a 28-year-old student of the Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), Miss Chinecherem Nwaokoye, alongside her 30-year-old boyfriend, for allegedly faking her own kidnap after watching a Nigerian movie.
The arrest was disclosed in a statement issued on Monday by the State’s Police Public Relations Officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, who revealed that the suspects were apprehended by operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) following an intelligence-driven investigation into the report of the purported abduction.
According to the police spokesperson, the student confessed that the entire ploy was inspired by a movie she watched, after which she subsequently conspired with her boyfriend to demand a huge sum N10 million from her parents by claiming that she had been kidnapped.
SP Ikenga said the family of the student had raised an alarm when she failed to return home after informing them on July 8, 2025, that she was on her way back from school.
The statement reads: “According to the report, Chinecherem had earlier contacted her family on Tuesday, 8th July 2025, informing them that she was returning home from school but never arrived. Her phone remained switched off throughout that day. On Wednesday, 9th July 2025, her family received a call from an unknown male voice who claimed responsibility for her kidnap and demanded a ransom of ₦10,000,000 (Ten Million Naira) only.
“After negotiations, the ransom was reduced to ₦3,000,000, and a part payment of ₦1,000,000 was later paid into the victim’s bank account.
“Upon interrogation, the duo confessed to staging the kidnap as a plot to extract money from the victim’s family. The female suspect, Chinecherem Nwaokoye, admitted she masterminded the plan after watching a movie and intended to give the money to her boyfriend to start a business.
“The Commissioner of Police, CP Ikioye Orutugu fwc MNIPS PhD, has directed that the suspects be charged to court without delay and condemned the incident as a clear sign of deepening moral decay among some youths in the society.
“He warned that the Command will not tolerate such criminal deception and called on parents and guardians to pay closer attention to the activities and peer influence on their children.”
