The Ondo State Police Command has arrested a 42-year-old woman, Sanmori Taiwo, for allegedly faking her own abduction in a bid to extort N10 million from relatives living abroad.
Police spokesman, DSP Olushola Ayanlade, in a statement on Wednesday, said Taiwo conspired with her 62-year-old husband, Pastor Sanmori Joshua, to stage the incident at their residence in Ondo City on Saturday, August 23.
According to Ayanlade, Taiwo locked herself in a separate room while her husband called her relatives, claiming she had been kidnapped by gunmen demanding ransom. Suspicious of the claim, a relative, Mr. Fasegha O. Joseph, petitioned the Commissioner of Police, who ordered the Special Anti-Kidnapping Squad (SAKS) to investigate.
Operatives later traced Taiwo to her residence, where she pretended to have just been released after a ransom of N5 million was supposedly paid.
Under interrogation, however, she confessed to staging the kidnap to extort money for debt repayment and personal needs.
The police confirmed that both Taiwo and her husband are in custody and under investigation, with legal action to follow.
“We will diligently unravel all forms of criminality, whether real or staged, to preserve peace, protect lives, and safeguard our communities,” Ayanlade said.
