A 16-year-old secondary school student in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, has been found to have staged her own kidnapping and demanded a ransom of ₦2 million from her family.
The girl, an SS2 student at a private school on Watchman Street in Abakaliki, allegedly collaborated with a family friend to carry out the deception.
According to the Ebonyi State Police Public Relations Officer, Joshua Ukandu, she contacted a relative claiming she had been abducted and asked for the ransom.
The student, who hails from Izzi Local Government Area, initially told police she lost consciousness after being tapped from behind while shopping for second-hand clothes (locally known as Okirika).
She claimed she later regained consciousness at Ishieke Junction in Ebonyi Local Government Area.
Rather than return home, she went to the residence of a family friend who was unaware of the incident.
Using his phone, she sent a message to her brother, claiming to have been kidnapped and demanding the ransom payment.
When her brother requested to speak with the supposed abductors and asked for their location, she refused and blocked his number.
She later unblocked him and provided an account number linked to the family friend.
The police tracked the phone used to send the messages, raided the house, and arrested all involved.
The girl has since been reunited with her family.
Ukandu confirmed that an investigation is ongoing, noting the girl’s age as a factor in the handling of the case.