Eric Patrick
A yet-to-be-identified 16-year-old secondary school student in Ebonyi State faked her own kidnap and demanded ₦2 million for her release.
The student, an SS2 pupil of a private school located on Watchman Street in Abakaliki, was reported to have conspired with a family friend to stage the fake abduction.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Joshua Ukandu, disclosed this in a statement on Monday.
According to Ukandu, the girl, a native of Izzi Local Government Area, was supposed to return to school for the third term on Saturday before the incident unfolded.
She allegedly contacted her brother using a family friend’s phone, claiming she had been kidnapped and demanding ₦2 million.
When the brother requested to speak with the supposed kidnappers and asked for a location, she refused and blocked his number. Later, she sent him a bank account number—belonging to a family friend—with instructions to pay the ransom.
The police further disclosed that the phone used to send the messages was traced, leading to a raid on the house where she was hiding.
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Meanwhile, during interrogation, the girl claimed she had left home to buy second-hand clothes, known locally as Okirika, when she was tapped from behind and allegedly lost consciousness.
She told police she later woke up at Ishieke Junction, a different part of Ebonyi Local Government Area, and asked for directions back to town.
Rather than returning home, she went to the residence of the unsuspecting family friend, who she said was unaware she had been declared missing.
Ukandu confirmed that a full investigation is ongoing, though the girl has been reunited with her family.
However, due to her age, authorities are treating the matter delicately, but legal steps may follow based on the outcome of the probe.