A 16-year-old SS2 student in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, has been caught faking her own kidnapping and demanding a ransom of N2 million from her family.
The girl, a native of Izzi Local Government Area, allegedly conspired with a family friend to stage the hoax shortly before she was expected to return to school for the third term.
According to Joshua Ukandu, spokesperson for the Ebonyi State Police Command, the teenager claimed she had been tapped on the back while buying second-hand clothes, lost consciousness, and later found herself at Ishieke Junction.
She said she then made her way to the home of a family friend—who reportedly didn’t know she was considered missing—and used his phone to text her brother a fake ransom demand.
When her brother requested to speak with the supposed kidnappers and asked for their location, she refused and blocked his number. Later, she sent him a bank account number—linked to the family friend—where the ransom should be paid.
However, authorities were able to track the phone, leading to a police raid and arrests.
The girl has since been reunited with her family, but a full police investigation is ongoing. Due to her age, further action will likely consider juvenile protocols.
