Ondo Woman Fakes Own Kidnap To Extort Relatives, Says Police

A WOMAN, Mrs. Sanmori Taiwo, 42, reportedly staged her own kidnap in order to extort money from her relatives abroad.
Spokesperson of the Ondo State Police Command, Olushola Ayanlade (DSP), in a statement on Wednesday, August 27, in Akure, explained that the incident happened on August 23 between 4p.m. and 5p.m. at her residence at Road 5, PowerLine, Ondo Town.
The Police spokesperson said the suspect deliberately isolated herself in a separate room in her residence, after conspiring with her 62-year-old husband, Sanmori Olubumi Joshua, to stage her own abduction.
Her husband subsequently called her relatives, using her mobile phone number, claiming that she had been kidnapped by unknown gunmen who were demanding the sum of N10million as ransom.
According to Ayanlade: “Suspicious of the claims, one of the relatives, Fasegha O. Joseph, through a written petition, reported the matter to the Commissioner of Police (CP), Adebowale Lawal, who directed the Command’s Special Anti-Kidnapping Squad (SAKS) to investigate the case.
“Acting swiftly on the report, an investigation team from the squad, supported by Enu-owa Division in Ondo City, proceeded to the Sanmori’s residence in Ondo Town, where Mrs. Taiwo was found.
“She falsely claimed to have just been released by kidnappers after a ransom of N5million was allegedly paid.
“Upon further interrogation at the Command, Mrs. Taiwo confessed that the abduction was staged as a self-kidnapping scheme, masterminded to extort money from her relatives abroad under the pretense of securing her release.
“She further admitted that her motive was to settle debts and provide for her personal needs.”
The Command’s spokesperson stated that both Taiwo and her husband were under investigation and appropriate legal action would follow, saying the case demonstrates its unwavering commitment to checkmate crime, noting: “We will diligently unravel all forms of criminality, whether real or staged, in order to preserve peace, protect lives and safeguard the integrity of communities within the state.”