The Abia State Police Command has arrested a Senior Secondary School 3 (SS3) student in Abia State, identified as Obinna Nwatu, for stage-managing his kidnapping to extort money from his mother, Mrs Rose Nwatu.
The 17-year-old suspect faked his kidnapping to extort money from his mother, who he claimed was stingy.
Commissioner of Police in the State, CP Janet Agbede, briefing newsmen on Friday at the command headquarters in Umuahia, said one Wisdom Nwatu reported that his younger brother Obinna Nwatu, 17yrs, was kidnapped.
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He told the police that his brother was kidnapped along Stadium Road, Okpuala Ngwa, by unknown hoodlums operating with ash colour Sienna, with registration number unknown, when he went to buy a recharge card.
However, after investigation, the Anti-kidnapping unit of the Command arrested one Chinaza Favour Ukaigwe, whose bank account was used to receive a ransom of Two hundred thousand naira (N200,000) only.
CP Agbede said: “Chinaza Favour Ukaigwe told the police after arrest that Obinna Nwatu faked his kidnap.
“He stated that Obinna and one Favour Ugorji a.k.a. “Wizzy” approached him at his shop at Aba Road Abia State and requested that he should give his bank account to enable them to use and receive the school fees of their young sister. The investigation further revealed that Obinna Nwatu and Ugorji received through the account the sum of two hundred thousand naira (N200,000) paid in as a ransom by Mrs Rose Nwatu (mother of Obinna Nwatu).
“Obinna Nwatu confessed he was not kidnapped. He conspired with Favour Ugorji, known as “Wizzy (now at large), to intentionally go into hiding at a hotel along with Rhema University Road Aba.
“Obinna, who is a Senior Secondary School 3 (SS3) student and lives in a boarding school, decided to fake his kidnap claiming that his mother, Mrs Rose Nwatu is stingy.”
