By Charles Pemu 
In a bizarre case of domestic deception, the Lagos State Police Command has apprehended a 26-year-old housewife and her 30-year-old accomplice for allegedly orchestrating a self-kidnapping plot. The elaborate ruse was designed to swindle N2.5 million from her husband, who currently resides in South Africa.
The Command’s spokesperson, Abimbola Adebisi, revealed in a statement on Saturday that the investigation began on November 24, after the distraught husband reported that his wife had been snatched by armed men. The “abductors” initially demanded a staggering N10 million ransom, eventually “negotiating” down to N3 million. However, despite the husband paying N2.5 million, the wife remained “in captivity,” prompting the police to step in.
Upon her eventual “release,” the woman provided a vivid account to the Police Special Squad. She claimed six gunmen in a silver Toyota Venza had intercepted her, stolen her iPhone 12 Pro Max, and held her at a secret hideout. She even claimed the ransom money was first funneled through her own bank account before being handed over to the criminals.
Detectives, however, were not convinced. “Police investigations revealed several inconsistencies in her narrative,” Adebisi stated. These cracks in her story led operatives on a trail that ended in Ede, Osun State.
On December 3, police arrested a 30-year-old male accomplice. The breakthrough came when officers recovered the SIM card used to host the WhatsApp account that handled the ransom negotiations. The accomplice confessed that he provided the suspect with the One-Time Password (OTP) to set up the account specifically for the extortion scheme.
When confronted with the evidence, the housewife confessed to the crime. The investigation took another turn when police recovered the iPhone 12 Pro Max she claimed was stolen. It was found with a 34-year-old buyer who told police he purchased the device from the suspect for N380,000, with a peculiar warning from her “not to insert a SIM card into it.”
Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Olohundare Jimoh, condemned the act, noting that such hoaxes divert critical security resources away from genuine emergencies. The suspects are currently in custody and will be formally charged in court following the conclusion of the investigation.
The police have used this incident to remind residents that false reporting and criminal deception are serious offenses that undermine public safety.