Police arrest couple for faking kidnap to extort N5m

The Lagos State Police Command has arrested a couple for an alleged self-kidnapping scheme aimed at obtaining a N5 million ransom.

The Public Relations Officer of the Nigeria Police Force, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday, as he warned citizens to desist from self-kidnapping.

Adejobi added that one Albarka Sukuya in Plateau State was arrested for staging his kidnap on several occasions, and one Nnamdi Agu, also faked his kidnap in Abuja in an attempt to defraud his family.

The statement read, “In Lagos, a couple was arrested for alleged self-kidnapping scheme aimed at obtaining a N5 million ransom recently.

“The husband, Doubara David Yabrifa, a 53-year-old technician, and the wife Regina Yabrifa, a 48-year-old body massager and bone setter, were apprehended after a family member reported the purported kidnapping.

“The couple confessed to planning the self-kidnap to raise N3 million to purchase a property in Badagry, Lagos. The husband justified the act, citing financial difficulties and lack of support from relatives. Both were arrested and subsequently charged to court.