Edo: Police arrest 18-year-old girl for staging own kidnap

The Edo State Police Command has arrested an 18-year-old girl for allegedly staging her own abduction in Ekpoma, Esan West Local Government Area of Edo State.

This is even as a coordinated security operation, according to the command, also led to the arrest of 11 suspected members of a kidnapping syndicate and the recovery of firearms and other dangerous weapons.

The command, in a statement issued on Tuesday by its Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Eno Ikoedem, said the suspect, Obehi Odine (female), fabricated her own kidnapping and demanded a ransom of N10 million.

According to the police, Odine confessed to the crime during interrogation, admitting that the kidnapping story was deliberately staged to extort money.

“A suspect, one Obehi Odine ‘F’, aged 18, was arrested for staging her own kidnap and demanding a ransom of N10 million.

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“She confessed to the crime, admitting that the incident was deliberately fabricated,” the statement said.

In a related development, the police recorded another major breakthrough in Ubiaja, Esan South-East Local Government Area, following a bush-combing operation aimed at flushing out criminal elements.

The statement explained that the operation was personally led by the Divisional Police Officer, Ubiaja, in collaboration with the Nigerian Military and the Edo State Security Corps (ESSC).

“Intelligence from drone-assisted air surveillance had identified a concealed forest enclave around Akwocha Camp and adjoining forest corridors as a suspected kidnapping and logistics base.

“When the area was stormed, 11 male suspects believed to be members of an organised kidnapping syndicate were arrested.

“Exhibits recovered from the hideout included 24 Dane guns, 17 cutlasses, three battle axes, gunpowder, torchlights, mobile phones, solar panels, assorted charms, one motorcycle, and N209,700 cash, among other items,” ASP Ikoedem disclosed

Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police, CP Monday Agbonika, warned members of the public against engaging in false kidnapping reports and other deceptive acts, noting that such actions waste critical security resources and undermine public trust.

He stressed that anyone found culpable would be prosecuted in accordance with the law.

The police boss reaffirmed the command’s commitment to technology-driven policing, aggressive forest domination, and intelligence-led operations to dismantle criminal networks across Edo State.

He also urged residents to continue supporting the police with timely and credible information through the command’s emergency and complaint lines.

However, amid heightened security actions, the Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, has visited Ekpoma to inspect the scene of an overnight fire that destroyed shops built by the Police Officers’ Wives Association (POWA).

The governor described the incident as disturbing and linked it to ongoing acts of violence and sabotage in the area, dismissing claims that the attackers were Fulani herdsmen.

“They are not Fulanis. They are political elements. We have started arresting them,” Okpebholo said, warning that no one involved in kidnapping, violence, or destruction would be spared, regardless of status or influence.

He announced that reconstruction of the burnt shops would begin within the week, assuring victims of broader government support beyond rebuilding.