Lagos Police Uncover Staged Kidnapping, Arrest Five Over N1.7m Extortion

The Lagos State Police Command has arrested five suspects over a stage-managed kidnapping involving a schoolboy, an incident that was allegedly orchestrated to extort money from the victim’s family.

The suspects were arrested between December 17 and 18, 2025, following investigations into a viral video that showed the teenage boy pleading for mercy in what was presented as a kidnappers’ den. The video, which circulated widely on social media, triggered fear and public concern across parts of the State.

In a statement released on Friday, the Police Public Relations Officer of the command, SP Abimbola Adebisi, said the case was initially reported as a missing person incident at the Ago Palace Police Division on November 26, 2025.

According to her, preliminary findings revealed that the kidnapping was not genuine but was deliberately staged by the supposed victim, Victor Aligwo, in collaboration with four accomplices.

“Subsequent investigation established that the alleged kidnapping was deliberately orchestrated by the victim himself, Victor Aligwo, in collaboration with four friends, using the room of one of the suspects, Umeh Victor, to carry out the act,” Adebisi stated.

The suspects were identified as Kosiko Patrick (17), Victor Aligwo (15), David Odudu (19), Anyabike Kingsley (20), and Umeh Victor (19). They were apprehended at various locations, including the Volkswagen Roundabout and the Ago Palace area of Lagos.

Police investigations revealed that the group allegedly planned the fake kidnapping to extort money from Aligwo’s mother, who had recently received ₦4 million from a contribution.

To make the scheme appear real, the suspects recorded and circulated a distress video showing the teenager pleading for help, with the aim of creating panic and compelling the family to pay a ransom.

Adebisi disclosed that a sum of ₦1.7 million was eventually paid by the victim’s mother and transferred into one of the suspects’ accounts. The money was later shared among the group.

She added that operatives of the command were able to trace the Point-of-Sale terminal used for the transaction, a development that led to the arrest of all the suspects involved in the staged crime.

The Police spokesperson said investigations are still ongoing and assured that the suspects would be charged to court upon the conclusion of the inquiry.

Reacting to the incident, the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, CP Olohundare Jimoh, warned criminal elements to desist from engaging in criminal and fraudulent activities, stressing that the command would not relent in its responsibility to protect lives and property across the state.

The Police also reassured residents that the incident was not a genuine kidnapping and urged members of the public to remain calm, go about their lawful activities, and promptly report any suspicious movements or incidents to the nearest Police Station.