Fake Kidnap Plot Uncovered: Lagos Police Arrest Housewife, Accomplice Over ₦2.5m Extortion

The Lagos State Police Command has arrested a 26-year-old housewife, Misturah Bada, and her alleged accomplice, 30-year-old Adedamola Daniel, for reportedly staging her own abduction and extorting ₦2.5 million from her husband, who lives in South Africa.

In a statement on Saturday, the command’s spokesperson, SP Abimbola Adebisi, said operatives of the Command Special Squad uncovered the plot while investigating a reported kidnapping that later turned out to be fake.

According to the police, the command received a distress call at about 10:00 p.m. on November 24, 2025, from Bada’s husband, who claimed that his wife had been kidnapped by armed men demanding a ₦10 million ransom, later reduced to ₦3 million. Eventually, ₦2.5 million was paid, but the supposed kidnappers allegedly failed to release her.

Following the report, police deployed both human and technical resources to track the alleged kidnappers. Mrs. Bada was later “released” and reunited with her family. During debriefing, she told investigators that six armed men abducted her in a silver Toyota Venza, took her to a hideout, and seized her iPhone 12 Pro Max. She also claimed the ransom was paid into her bank account before being handed over to the kidnappers.

However, police said discrepancies in her narrative raised suspicion and led to deeper investigations. On December 3, 2025, operatives arrested Adedamola Daniel in Ede, Osun State. A SIM card used to register the WhatsApp account through which ransom negotiations were conducted was recovered from him.

During interrogation, Daniel allegedly confessed that Mrs. Bada asked him to provide his SIM card to open the WhatsApp account used for the ransom talks and that he shared the one-time password (OTP) sent to his line, enabling her to control the account.

When confronted with the findings, Mrs. Bada reportedly admitted to faking her own kidnapping to extort money from her husband. Further investigations led to the recovery of the iPhone 12 Pro Max she earlier claimed was with the kidnappers. The phone was recovered from one Yusuf Sodiq, 34, who told police he bought it from her for ₦380,000 and was warned not to insert a SIM card into it.

The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, CP Olohundare Jimoh, reaffirmed the command’s commitment to safeguarding lives and property, warning against false reports and criminal deception that divert vital security resources.

He urged residents to continue their lawful activities and report suspicious movements through the command’s emergency lines. Police said investigations are ongoing and that the suspects will be charged to court once the probe is concluded.

Opinion Nigeria News