The Lagos State Police Command has raised the alarm over a growing trend of staged kidnappings designed to extort ransom from unsuspecting family members, warning residents to be cautious and verify distress claims before taking action.
The command’s spokesperson, SP Abimbola Adebisi, disclosed this during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria, noting that several viral kidnapping videos and distress messages circulating online were found to be fraudulent schemes orchestrated by the supposed victims themselves.
According to Adebisi, the police have intensified monitoring of social media and other platforms to swiftly identify and neutralise fake abduction reports capable of causing public panic. She explained that inconsistencies in one high-profile case involving a 26-year-old housewife triggered deeper investigation, leading to the discovery that the alleged kidnapping was a carefully planned scam rather than a genuine hostage situation.
Investigations revealed that the woman faked her abduction to extort money from her husband, who resides in South Africa. The initial ransom demand of N10 million was later negotiated to N2.5 million before the plot was uncovered. Police said she worked with an accomplice in Osun State who provided a SIM card used to demand ransom via WhatsApp, and later confessed to selling the iPhone she claimed had been stolen during the incident. The motive, according to police findings, was financial hardship and the husband’s failed attempts to return to the United States.
Adebisi confirmed that the Commissioner of Police, Olohundare Jimoh, has deployed tactical units across the state and directed divisional police officers to work closely with community leaders to strengthen information sharing and early detection of such crimes. She added that police investigations have shown that several reported kidnapping cases were in fact self-orchestrated attempts to defraud relatives.
In another case, five suspects aged between 15 and 20 were arrested over a staged kidnapping involving a 15-year-old boy in the Ago Palace area of Lagos. The boy, with the help of four friends, faked his abduction, prompting his mother to pay N1.7 million in ransom. Detectives traced the payment through a POS terminal, which led to the arrest of the suspects. Police also uncovered a separate incident in which a couple staged the wife’s kidnapping in an attempt to extort N10 million, a plot that was eventually exposed at a school in the Cappa area of the state.
The police said these incidents, initially reported as genuine missing person cases, heightened public fear and diverted resources from real emergencies before investigations revealed the truth. Adebisi warned that the rise in fake kidnappings complicates efforts to address Nigeria’s broader kidnapping challenge, drains police resources, fuels public anxiety through viral content, and exposes families—especially those with relatives abroad—to emotional and financial manipulation.
The Lagos State Police Command urged residents to verify kidnapping claims thoroughly before transferring money or sharing alarming messages. Families were advised to establish private verification codes, maintain regular contact with loved ones, and avoid acting on unconfirmed distress calls. The police stressed that filing false kidnapping reports is a criminal offence with legal consequences.
Residents were encouraged to report suspicious activities through the command’s hotlines: 07061019374, 08065154338, 08063299264, and 08039344870. Adebisi emphasised that security is a shared responsibility and called on the public to support law enforcement in tackling both conventional crimes and emerging criminal schemes.
