The Lagos State Police Command has apprehended five individuals linked to a staged kidnapping incident that gained widespread attention last month, involving a schoolboy pleading for mercy in a so-called kidnappers’ den.
Operatives from the Anti-Kidnapping Tactical Squad arrested the suspects on Thursday, 18th December 2025, at around 1300 hours, following an intelligence-led and discreet investigation.
SP Abimbola Adebisi, Police Public Relations Officer for the Lagos State Police Command, confirmed the arrests and provided details to the public on 19th December 2025 in an official statement.
The case, first reported as a missing person incident at Ago Palace Division on 26th November 2025, was later discovered to have been staged by the victim, 15-year-old Victor Aligwo, along with four friends, using the room of Umeh Victor to fake the kidnapping.
The suspects—Kosiko Patrick, 17; Victor Aligwo, 15; David Odudu, 19; Anyabike Kingsley, 20; and Umeh Victor, 19—were arrested on 17th and 18th December at Volkswagen Roundabout and the Ago Palace area.
Investigations indicated that the fake kidnapping was orchestrated to extort money from Victor Aligwo’s mother, who had recently received a contribution of Four Million Naira (₦4,000,000). The suspects recorded and circulated a distress video showing Victor pleading for help, creating fear and panic to pressure the family into paying a ransom.
A ransom of One Million, Seven Hundred Thousand Naira (₦1.7 million) was paid and later transferred to one of the suspects’ accounts, then shared among them. Police tracked the transaction via the Point-of-Sale (POS) terminal, which led to the suspects’ arrest.
The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, CP Olohundare Jimoh, issued a warning against criminal activity in the state, stating: “The Command will not relent in ensuring the safety of lives and property. All criminal elements are hereby warned to desist from any form of crime and curtailed any form of criminal activities within the state.”
He reassured residents: “This incident was not a case of kidnapping, and there is no cause for panic. Members of the public are encouraged to continue their lawful activities and promptly report any suspicious acts or movements to the Police through the Command’s emergency numbers: 0706 101 9374, 0806 515 4338, 0806 329 9264, 0803 934 4870.”
The investigation is ongoing, and all suspects are expected to face prosecution in a court of competent jurisdiction.