26-year-old man fakes kidnapping to extort N35m from family

Police operatives have arrested a 26-year-old man, Chibuike Ugwuja, for faking his abduction and demanding N35 million from his family members in Enugu State.

The Enugu State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Daniel Ndukwe, disclosed this in a statement on Monday, December 1, 2025.

Ndukwe said Ugwuja’s father reported his son missing on November 24, after he left for work on November 22 and failed to return.

Ndukwe said the 26-year-old man sent a Facebook message to a female neighbour, claiming unknown abductors in a commercial bus were demanding ransom.

The police spokesperson said anvestigations and search efforts were ongoing when the suspect’s father brought him to the police station on November 30.

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Ndukwe said: “Upon interrogation, the suspect confessed to staging the self-kidnap.

“He revealed that after work, he went to a friend’s residence at Amorji Nike, Enugu, rather than returning home, and masterminded the false abduction.

“He demanded N35,000,000 from his family but returned home on November 29, at about 9 a.m. after his ransom demands were not met.

“The suspect attributed his actions to frustration over his uncle’s alleged inability to procure a tricycle for him.”

He added that Ugwuja has since been detained in police custody and will be arraigned in court upon the conclusion of investigations.

The Star