The Edo State Police Command has arrested an 18-year-old girl, Obehi Odine, for allegedly staging her own kidnapping and demanding a ₦10 million ransom. In a separate operation, 11 other suspects believed to be members of a kidnapping syndicate were also arrested across the state.
Confirming the development on Tuesday, the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Eno Ikoedem, said Odine confessed to deliberately faking the abduction in an attempt to extort money. According to the police, the teenager admitted that the entire incident was planned by her.
In another major breakthrough, police operatives in Ubiaja carried out a coordinated bush-combing operation led by the Divisional Police Officer, in collaboration with the Nigerian Military and the Edo State Security Corps. The operation targeted forest areas identified through drone surveillance as suspected hideouts for kidnappers.
During the raid, a hidden forest camp believed to serve as a logistics base for criminal activities was uncovered, leading to the arrest of 11 male suspects. Several items were recovered from the scene, including 24 dane guns, 17 cutlasses, three battle axes, gunpowder, mobile phones, solar panels, assorted charms, a motorcycle, torchlights, and ₦209,700 in cash.
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Reacting to the arrests, the Commissioner of Police, Monday Agbonika, warned residents against making false kidnapping reports, noting that such acts waste security resources, cause unnecessary panic, and undermine public trust. He stressed that anyone found engaging in such deception would face prosecution.
Agbonika also reaffirmed the command’s commitment to technology-driven and intelligence-led policing, particularly aggressive operations in forested areas to dismantle criminal networks. He urged members of the public to continue supporting the police by providing timely and credible information.
The arrests come amid heightened concerns over kidnapping in Edo State, following recent reports of gunmen demanding ₦100 million ransom for eight Imoga indigenes abducted along the Imoga–Ibillo Road.
