A 23-year-old man identified as Edward Okache was on October 10 arrested alongside four others Asamoah Ernest, Isiah Uti, Ephraim Anyijor, and charity Lukpata for faking his kidnap.
The suspects were arrested following a report lodged at Mowe divisional headquarters by one Comfort Okache who reported via phone call that her younger brother who travelled from Calabar to Lagos was kidnapped around the Mowe area of Ogun state and that the kidnappers were demanding N10 million if the relations want to see the boy alive.
Upon the report, the DPO Mowe division, SP Folake Afeniforo mobilized the division’s tactical teams and moved to the area. Upon painstaking and enduring combing of the surrounding bush in Orimerunmu area, the victim was sighted in an uncompleted building with the duo of Asamoah Ernest, a Ghanaian, and Isiah Uti, where he was tied in both hands and legs.
The two suspects found with him were promptly arrested, while the victim was rescued. But on getting to the station, the two arrested suspects made a shocking revelation that the so-called victim was the person who planned with them to kidnap him for he to extort money from his parents to invest in an online business.
They stated further that the so called victim was introduced to them by Ephraim Anyijor and Charity Lukpata who are from the same Yala local government area of crossriver as the victim, and that they all are all part of the planned kidnap of Edward Ochace.
Their confession led to the arrest of Ephraim Anyijor and charity Lukpata. They have all confessed to the commission of the crime.” SP Abimbola Oyeyemi, spokesperson of the state police command, said
Oyeyemi disclosed that the state Commissioner of Police, CP Lanre Bankole, has directed that the suspects be transferred to the anti-kidnapping unit of the state Criminal Investigation Departments for further investigation and possible prosecution.
