Ondo schoolgirls demand ₦100k ransom from mother after faking their kidnap

Two secondary schoolgirls have been arrested by operatives of the Ondo Security Network Agency better known as Amotekun after faking their own kidnap and demanding a ransom from their mother.

The two sisters, who are 13 and 15 years of age were arrested after locking themselves inside a hotel room, from where they demanded ransom from their mother to secure their release.

While parading the pupils with over 20 other suspects at the headquarters of the command in Akure, on Monday, July 17, 2023, the state Commander of the Corps, Akogun Adetunji Adeleye said the pupils hid inside the hotel in the Akoko area of the state and called their mother, pretending to be kidnappers who abducted them and demanded a sum of ₦100,000.

He said the girls also called and threatened the monarch of their town to pay the ransom within 24 hours.

Adeleye said “The 28 suspects we are parading today (Monday) shows that we have more kidnapping than any other criminal activities. This is in continuation of our efforts at ensuring that kidnapping in Ondo State becomes a thing of the past.

“We have people who kidnapped themselves and raised alarm and in our diligent investigations, we were able to unravel the mystery surrounding their disappearance to the extent that they have confessed.”

The youngest of the two sisters who confessed to the crime said her elder sister lured her to it.

She said, “On that day, my sister and I spent the night in our grandma’s place and left there around 6:00 am the following day. While on our way back home, my (elder) sister told me that she had a plan to get money from our mother.

“She then revealed her plan to declare ourselves kidnapped and asked for N50,000 each ransom from our mother. It was my sister who taught me what to say when they put a call through to my mother.

“When we called we didn’t know that it was the monarch that was speaking with us on the phone and we threatened to kill our victims in captivity if they failed to pay the ransom quickly.”

Adeleye said the teenagers were arrested through a joint operation with the operatives of the State Security Service (SSS) after tracking the telephone line they used to call their mother.