The Lagos State Police Command has arrested an 18-year-old suspect while attempting to collect a N20 million ransom in what authorities described as a foiled extortion scheme in the state.
The Commissioner of Police, Fatai Tijani, disclosed this on Tuesday at the command headquarters in Ikeja, noting that the arrest followed a well-coordinated sting operation by detectives.
According to him, the case stemmed from a formal complaint lodged by officials of the Ojokoro Local Council Development Area over threats to life accompanied by a demand for N20m.
Tijani said operatives swiftly launched an intelligence-driven operation, leading to the suspect’s arrest on March 27 at the point of collecting the ransom.
“The suspect was intercepted during a decoy operation while attempting to receive the money,” he said.
Items recovered from the suspect include an HP laptop and a flash drive, both of which are currently undergoing forensic examination to aid ongoing investigations.
The police boss further revealed that the suspect had confessed to the crime and admitted involvement in an earlier attempted break-in at a commercial bank.
He said the arrest underscored the command’s renewed crackdown on extortion, kidnapping and other violent crimes across Lagos.
Tijani added that efforts were underway to identify and apprehend possible accomplices, assuring that the suspect would be charged to court upon conclusion of investigations.
Reaffirming the command’s stance on public safety, the commissioner warned criminal elements to desist, stressing that intelligence-led policing operations would be sustained to curb crime in the state.