By Seyi Babalola
TheLagos State Police Command reported the arrest of Collins Ikwebe, 20, who allegedly faked his kidnapping and sought a ransom from his father.
Collins, along with one male and four female accomplices whose identities were not revealed, were arrested for allegedly arranging the crime, according to the command.
According to Punch, Benjamin Hundeyin, the state Police Public Relations Officer, confirmed the defendants’ arrests while dismissing a charge of wrongful detention made by one of them.
Hundeyin’s declaration followed a popular post by an X.com user, @Flacko TG, who claimed he was being held in the Ikeja Police Division for a crime he did not commit and wanted the world to know where he was.
“Guys I’m locked up in the Ikeja police station. I don’t have enough time, and I don’t know what to do. So, this is my only alternative, so y’all know what happened to me,” he wrote.
He added, “Someone faked his kidnapping and requested (a) ransom from his dad. His dad reported the case to SARS, and they tracked his phone.
“I genuinely knew nothing about it until I reached the station. His dad came to the station and requested his release, but they insisted on trying the case in court, which could take up to three years to resolve. Other people who were in the apartment with him were locked up as well.”
Responding to the X.com user’s claim in the comment section of the post, the command spokesperson stated that the detained suspects had demanded a ransom from Collin’s father after executing their scheme.
Hundeyin revealed that the 20-year-old faked his kidnapping while staying with other suspects in a short-let apartment in the Lekki area of Lagos before their arrest.
He stated, “Following a report from his family, our investigation established that 20-year-old Collins Oluchukwu Ikwebe faked his own kidnapping. His dad received several calls from Collins’ number but with different voices giving instructions on what amount of money to be paid and methods of payment.
“At different times spanning two weeks, different sums —$500,000, $200,000, N2,000,000, N50,000, and N30,000— were requested from Collins’ dad.
“On Thursday, June 20, 2024, detectives of the Lagos State Police Command eventually busted a short-let four-bedroom apartment in Lekki where Collins and five of his schoolmates (one male, four females) had been staying for the past 10 days.”
Hundeyin further noted that none of the suspects had been exonerated yet, noting that “investigation is being concluded to establish the extent of culpability of the other five occupants of the apartment.”
