An 18-year-old girl, Obehi Odine, has been artested for staging her own kidnapping in Ekpoma, Edo State.
The suspect who demanded a ransom of ₦10 million from her loved ones, is now cooling off in police custody.
The Command’s Spokesperson, Eno Ikoedem, a ASP, in a statement Tuesday morning,disclosed that the suspect was arrested on Monday, January 12.
“Following a report of a suspected kidnapping along Old INEC Road, Ekpoma, received at about noon on 12th January, 2026, the new DPO immediately swung into action and deployed operational resources to track the caller.
“Technical intelligence and field investigations led to the arrest of the suspect, which later revealed a case of self-kidnapping.
“The suspect, one Obehi Odine ‘F’, aged 18, was arrested for staging her own kidnapping and demanding a ransom of Ten Million Naira (₦10,000,000). She has confessed to the crime, admitting that the incident was deliberately fabricated to extort money,” the statement said.
In a related operation in Ubiaja, the Command recorded another major operational success with its bush-combing strategy.
“The Divisional Police Officer, Ubiaja personally led a coordinated bush-combing operation around Akwocha Camp and adjoining forest corridors, in collaboration with the Nigerian Military and the Edo State Security Corps (ESSC).
“A concealed forest enclave identified by the drone squadron through intelligence generated from air surveillance as a suspected kidnapping and logistics base, was stormed. This resulted in the arrest of eleven (11) male suspects believed to be members of an organized kidnapping syndicate.
“Exhibits recovered include twenty-four (24) Dane guns, seventeen (17) cutlasses, three (3) battle axes, gun powder, torchlights, mobile phones, solar panels, assorted charms, one Daylong motorcycle, and the sum of ₦209,700.00 cash, among other exhibits,” ASP Ikoedem said.
The CP who warned members of the public against engaging in false kidnapping reports and other deceptive acts, noted that such actions waste critical security resources, divert attention from genuine emergencies, create unnecessary panic, and undermine public confidence.
He further warned that anyone caught will be prosecuted accordingly.
He, however, reiterated the Command’s resolve to sustain technology-driven policing, aggressive forest domination, and intelligence-led operations to dismantle criminal networks across the state.
