The Anambra State Police Command has arrested two individuals for orchestrating a fake kidnap in a bid to extort money from the victim’s family, in what authorities have described as a disturbing sign of growing moral decline among youths.
The suspects, identified as Chinecherem Nwaokoye, a 28-year-old female student of Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), and Chinecherem Aronu, a 30-year-old male accomplice, were apprehended by operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) in Awka.
Police investigations revealed that Nwaokoye had informed her family on Tuesday, July 8, 2025, that she was returning home from school but failed to arrive. Her phone remained unreachable, prompting concern. The following day, her family received a call from an unidentified male who claimed she had been kidnapped and demanded a ₦10 million ransom.
Following negotiations, the ransom demand was reduced to ₦3 million, and a part payment of ₦1 million was paid—shockingly, into Nwaokoye’s own bank account.
Acting on intelligence, RRS operatives stormed a lodge at UNIZIK Temporary Site, Awka, where they found the supposed victim alive and in the company of her co-conspirator.
Upon interrogation, the suspects confessed to staging the abduction. Nwaokoye admitted she conceived the plan after watching a movie and intended to use the extorted money to help her boyfriend start a business.
Reacting to the development, the Commissioner of Police, CP Ikioye Orutugu, condemned the act as “a clear sign of deepening moral decay among some youths.” He directed that the suspects be prosecuted without delay and urged parents and guardians to be more vigilant over the activities and associations of their children.
The Command reiterated its zero-tolerance stance on criminal deception and vowed to continue deploying intelligence-driven strategies to combat all forms of criminality across the state.