Law enforcement officials in Benue State have taken two women into custody for reportedly fabricating a kidnapping to solicit ransom money from family members. The suspects, Mary Torkuma and Evergreen Samuel, allegedly plotted to trick Torkuma’s mother into thinking her daughter was held captive.
The incident surfaced when the Command’s Violence Crime Response Unit received a complaint on July 15, 2026. Torkuma had departed her home on July 12, and her mother in Lagos soon received extortion demands via phone from strangers claiming to have abducted her daughter. Following a technical investigation, detectives tracked the pair to a hotel situated in the Ankpa Quarters of Makurdi.
Authorities discovered Torkuma and Samuel together at the site. The women admitted to planning the charade to gain financial profit from the family. They are presently being held in custody as officers finalize the legal process before bringing them to court. Commissioner of Police Cletus C.N. Nwadiogbu condemned the act, emphasizing that fraudulent kidnappings waste vital police resources and carry severe legal consequences.
