- Police Arrest Two Over Staged Kidnap
- Demanded ransom of ₦10 million
- “After negotiations, the ransom was reduced to ₦3,000,000, and a part payment of ₦1,000,000″
The Anambra State Police Command has arrested two individuals for faking their own kidnapping and attempting to extort money.
The suspects, identified as Chinecherem Okonkwo, a 28-year-old female student at Enugu State University of Science and Technology, and Chinecherem Aronu, a 30-year-old man, allegedly staged the abduction and used a disguised voice to demand a ransom of ₦10 million from Okonkwo’s family.
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Eko Hot Blog reports that the ploy was revealed in a statement issued on Monday by the police spokesperson in Anambra State, SP Tochukwu Ikenga.
Ikenga explained that officers from the Rapid Response Squad, following an intelligence-driven investigation into the reported disappearance of the student, apprehended the suspects at a lodge near the UNIZIK Temporary Site in Awka.
The statement said, “The Anambra State Police Command has arrested two suspects involved in a self-orchestrated kidnap incident designed to extort money from the victim’s own family.
“The suspects are Chinecherem Okonkwo ‘f’ age 28years old and Chinecherem Aronu ‘m’ age 30years old.
“Operatives of the Rapid Response Squad acting on an intelligence-led investigation of a disturbing report of alleged abduction of Chinecherem Nwaokoye, a female student of Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), stormed a lodge located at UNIZIK Temp Site, Awka, where the victim was found alive and in the company of her male accomplice.
“According to the report, Chinecherem had earlier contacted her family on Tuesday, July 8, 2025, informing them that she was returning home from school but never arrived.
“Her phone remained switched off throughout that day. On Wednesday, July 9, 2025, her family received a call from an unknown male voice who claimed responsibility for her kidnapping and demanded a ransom of ₦10 million only.
“After negotiations, the ransom was reduced to ₦3,000,000, and a part payment of ₦1,000,000 was later paid into the victim’s bank account.”
According to Ikenga, during interrogation, the two suspects admitted to faking the kidnapping as part of a scheme to extort money from the victim’s family.
He further revealed that the female suspect, Nwaokoye, confessed to devising the plan after watching a movie and said she intended to give the money to her boyfriend to help him start a business.
“The Commissioner of Police, CP Ikioye Orutugu, has directed that the suspects be charged to court without delay and condemned the incident as a clear sign of deepening moral decay among some youths in the society.
“He warned that the Command will not tolerate such criminal deception and called on parents and guardians to pay closer attention to the activities and peer influence on their children,” he added.
