The Enugu State Police Command has arrested a 26-year-old man, Chibuike Joshua Ugwuja, for allegedly staging his own abduction and demanding ₦35 million ransom from his family.
Ugwuja, who works as a private security guard in an estate in Trans-Ekulu, was reported missing by his father on November 24 after he failed to return home two days earlier.
The father told the Trans-Ekulu Police Division that the suspect had sent a Facebook message to their female neighbour claiming he had been abducted by unknown persons in a commercial bus and that his “kidnappers” were demanding ₦35 million.
Police operatives immediately launched an investigation and intensified efforts to trace and rescue the purported victim.
But in a surprising twist, the suspect’s father brought him to the station on November 30, following days of coordinated search operations across the area.
Upon interrogation, Ugwuja confessed to staging the kidnap from the home of a friend in Amorji Nike, Enugu.
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According to the police, he admitted to fabricating the abduction story and sending ransom demands to his family.
He returned home on November 29 after his family failed to raise the ransom.
He allegedly told investigators that he acted out of frustration over his uncle’s inability to procure a tricycle (keke) for him.
Police spokesperson, Daniel Ndukwe, said the suspect is now in custody and would be charged in court once investigations are concluded.
Commissioner of Police, Mamman Bitrus Giwa, described the incident as “a regrettable height of criminality”.
He praised the suspect’s parents for promptly reporting the case and producing their son, instead of shielding him.
He urged residents to always report suspected kidnapping cases and avoid rushing to pay ransom, assuring that the command remains committed to maintaining security during the yuletide season.
