Operatives of the Ondo State Security Network Agency, known as Amotekun Corps, have apprehended two secondary school girls for allegedly staging their own kidnapping and demanding a ransom from their parents.
The girls, aged 13 and 15 and siblings, were taken into custody by Amotekun in Oka-Akoko, Akoko South-West Local Government Area of Ondo State. Both girls were enrolled in JSS 3 and SSS 1 classes, respectively.
According to reports, the girls concealed themselves and contacted their mother, posing as kidnappers who had abducted them. They demanded a sum of N100,000 as ransom from their mother. The Corps Commander, Akogun Adetunji Adeleye, addressed the press at the Corps Headquarters in Akure, the state capital, on Monday, providing additional details about the incident.
Adeleye revealed that the girls had also threatened their mother and the local monarch, stating that they would harm the captives if the ransom was not paid within 24 hours.
Speaking to reporters, the younger sister explained the planning behind their scheme. She shared that they had spent the previous night at their grandmother’s place and left around 6:00 am. During their journey home, the elder sister informed her of a plan to obtain money from their mother. Their plan involved falsely declaring themselves as kidnapped and demanding N50,000 in ransom.
She stated, “My sister guided me on what to say when we called our mother. We didn’t realize it was the monarch speaking to us on the phone when we made threats to kill the captives if the ransom wasn’t paid promptly.”
In addition to the girls’ arrest, the Amotekun Corps also paraded twenty-eight suspected criminals. The individuals were apprehended in various parts of the state for offenses including kidnapping, cult activities, and illegal possession of firearms.
The Corps Commander, who also serves as the state governor’s Special Adviser on security matters, expressed satisfaction with the positive outcomes resulting from joint patrols involving Amotekun personnel, the military, and other security agencies. Adeleye mentioned specific locations, such as Jubere forest, Ilale in Owo, Aromogija, Ute, and the boundary between Ondo and Edo States, where the joint security patrol teams made arrests of kidnappers.
Adeleye remarked, “The 28 suspects we are parading today demonstrate that kidnapping is the most prevalent criminal activity. We are determined to make kidnapping a thing of the past in Ondo State.”
He also revealed ongoing investigations into cases involving individuals who staged their own kidnappings and prominent individuals who were victims of kidnapping.
