Edo Police Arrest Teen for Faking Own Kidnap, Nab 11 Suspected Kidnappers, Recover Arms

The Edo State Police Command has arrested an 18-year-old girl, Obehi Odine, for allegedly staging her own kidnapping in a bid to extort ₦10 million as ransom, while 11 other suspects were apprehended for their alleged involvement in an organised kidnapping syndicate operating in the state.

The arrests were disclosed in a statement issued on Tuesday by the Command’s Public Relations Officer, CSP Eno Ikoedem, who said the operations led to the recovery of firearms and other dangerous weapons.

According to the police, Odine confessed to fabricating the kidnapping story and demanding ransom from her family.

“A suspect, one Obehi Odine ‘F’, aged 18, was arrested for staging her own kidnap and demanding a ransom of ₦10 million. She has confessed to the crime, admitting that the incident was deliberately fabricated to extort money,” the statement said.

In a separate but related operation, the Command recorded a major breakthrough in Ubiaja, Edo Central Senatorial District, following an intelligence-led bush-combing exercise.

The statement revealed that the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Ubiaja, in collaboration with the Nigerian Military and the Edo State Security Corps (ESSC), led a coordinated operation around Akwocha Camp and adjoining forest corridors.

Using intelligence generated from aerial drone surveillance, security operatives identified and stormed a concealed forest enclave believed to be a kidnapping and logistics base.

“This resulted in the arrest of 11 male suspects believed to be members of an organised kidnapping syndicate,” the police said.

Items recovered from the suspects included 24 dane guns, 17 cutlasses, three battle axes, gunpowder, torchlights, mobile phones, solar panels, assorted charms, one motorcycle and ₦209,700 in cash, among other exhibits.

Reacting to the development, the Commissioner of Police, CP Monday Agbonika, warned members of the public against making false kidnapping reports or engaging in deceptive acts.

He noted that such actions waste critical security resources, divert attention from genuine emergencies, create unnecessary panic and erode public trust in law enforcement.

“Anyone caught will be prosecuted accordingly,” the police commissioner warned.

Agbonika reaffirmed the Command’s commitment to technology-driven policing, aggressive forest domination and intelligence-led operations to dismantle criminal networks across Edo State.

He also called on residents to continue supporting the police with timely and credible information to aid crime prevention and detection.

Meanwhile, the police action comes amid rising concerns over kidnapping in parts of the state. It was earlier reported that suspected kidnappers demanded ₦100 million for the release of eight Imoga indigenes abducted on Friday night along the Imoga–Ibillo Road in Edo North.

The Okpahi of Imoga Kingdom, Oba Patrick Obajoye, disclosed that the victims were kidnapped at Star Boy Hotel, where they had lodged overnight after attending a function in Ibillo.

According to the monarch, the kidnappers reportedly arrived at the hotel in army uniforms, pretending to be customers while waiting for their targets.