The Anti-Cultism Tactical Squad of the Enugu State Police Command has apprehended four male suspects for conspiracy, staged kidnapping, and defrauding the parents of N2 million. The suspects include Chidera Godwin Ako, 21, who orchestrated his own kidnapping, and his accomplices Okechukwu Philip Chidalu, 19, Ifeanyi Ugwu, 20, and Ossai Chigozie, 35.
The police spokesman, Daniel Ndukwe, revealed that Chidera was reported missing on May 4, and his accomplices later demanded a N10 million ransom from his parents, sending a video of him bound and appearing beaten. The parents paid N1.5 million initially and an additional N500,000, but the suspects failed to release Chidera. Instead, the police operatives arrested them at a POS centre while attempting to withdraw the funds.
The suspects have confessed to the crime and will be arraigned upon completion of investigations. The Commissioner of Police, Mamman Bitrus Giwa, has ordered further arrests of anyone linked to the crime and urged the public to report suspected kidnappings and avoid hasty ransom payments, emphasizing that some cases might be staged.
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