Crime

How teenager pulled off N500,000-kidnap job with army officer

Published

9 years ago

November 25, 2017

A 17-year-old in Imo organised her own kidnap, and got a ransom of N500,000 before she was “rescued”, and then arrested by the Anti-kidnapping Unit of the Imo State Police Command.

Favour Vincent plotted the put-up job with her boyfriend, Emeka Godwin, a serving army officer, now on the run after collecting the ransom.

The police also arrested Favour’s 19-year-old elder sister, Perpetua, and three other suspects including Amarachi Victor 22, Hygenius Ofoegbu 31, and Vitalis Opara, 24.

They were paraded at the police command headquarters in Owerri, the state capital, by the Police Public Relations Officer, Andrew Enwerem.

Enwerem explained that while the five suspects were rounded up by the operatives of the command, the army officer who received the ransom had yet to be arrested.

According to the police spokesperson Favour Vincent and her boyfriend conspired to fake her kidnap with the intent to collect a ransom of N5 million from her Togolese grandma.

“On receiving the news of the kidnap, the police command made efforts to rescue the victim and arrested the suspects,” he said.

Enwerem said that in the course of investigations, it was discovered that Favour and her elder sister, with the aid of the other suspects, planned, executed the kidnapping and successfully collected the ransom.

“The girl confessed to the crime and the command is on the trail of the purported army officer,” said Enwerem.

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“Our grandmother is very rich but she doesn’t take care of us. She gives money to outsiders but she refuses to give to us.

“My sister and I along with Emeka (Godwin) planned the kidnap. It was my boyfriend who received the N500,000. After he collected the money, he ran away and his phone line no longer went through,” said Favour.

The state CP Chris Ezike has ordered charged the anti-kidnapping unit of the command to arrest Godwin immediately.