Benue State Police Command has arrested two women for allegedly staging a fake kidnapping in a bid to extort ransom from the family of one of the suspects.
The Command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Orchia Peter Aondona, disclosed this in a statement, saying the suspects allegedly conspired to deceive the victim’s mother into paying ransom.
According to the statement, the case was reported to the Command’s Violence Crime Response Unit (VCRU) in Makurdi on July 15, 2026.
It explained that Miss Mary Torkuma, a resident of Akpehe in Makurdi, had left her apartment on July 12 to visit a friend in the North Bank area of the state capital.
“The following day, her mother, who resides in Lagos State, received a phone call from an unknown number claiming that her daughter had been kidnapped and demanding ransom for her release,” the statement said.
Following the report, operatives of the VCRU launched an intelligence-led investigation that traced the supposed victim to a hotel in the Ankpa Quarters area of Makurdi.
Police said Mary Torkuma was found in the hotel alongside her alleged accomplice, Miss Evergreen Samuel, who had travelled from Abia State.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the two women allegedly masterminded the fake kidnap to fraudulently obtain money from Mary’s mother by falsely claiming she had been abducted.
The suspects are currently in police custody, while investigations continue. The police said they would be charged to court upon the conclusion of the investigation.
Reacting to the incident, the Commissioner of Police in Benue State, CP Cletus C.N. Nwadiogbu, warned members of the public against staging fake kidnapping incidents or engaging in any criminal act.
He noted that such crimes divert vital security resources away from genuine emergencies and are punishable under Nigerian law.
The police commissioner also reaffirmed the Command’s commitment to intelligence-led policing and urged residents to report suspicious activities promptly through the nearest police station or the Command’s emergency lines: 08066006475 and 07067374913.