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Police arrest ESUT student, boyfriend over ‘fake kidnap’ to extort family in Anambra

TheCable stock photo of Nigeria Police Force officers TheCable stock photo of Nigeria Police Force officers
Police officers | File photo

The Anambra police command says its operatives have arrested two suspects—a male and a female—for allegedly faking a kidnap to extort money from the victim’s family.

Tochukwu Ikenga, police spokesperson in Anambra, said in a statement issued on Monday that the suspects—Chinecherem Nwaokoye, a 28-year-old female student at the Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), and Chinecherem Aronu, her 30-year-old boyfriend—were apprehended following an intelligence-led operation.

Ikenga noted that the duo was arrested at a lodge near the UNIZIK temporary site in Awka, the state capital, where the supposed victim was found safe and in the company of her male accomplice.

“The Anambra State Police Command has arrested two suspects involved in a self-orchestrated kidnap incident designed to extort money from the victim’s own family. The suspects are Chinecherem Okonkwo, ‘f,’ age 28 28years old and Chinecherem Aronu, ‘m,’ age 30 years old,” the statement reads.

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The police spokesperson said Nwaokoye had called her family on July 8 to say that she was on her way home from school but never arrived.

After the call, her phone remained switched off, raising fears within the family.

Ikenga said the following day, her family received a call from an unknown man claiming she had been kidnapped while demanding a N10 million ransom.

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“After negotiations, the ransom was reduced to N3,000,000, and a part payment of N1,000,000 was later paid into the victim’s bank account,” Ikenga said.

“Upon interrogation, the duo confessed to staging the kidnap as a plot to extract money from the victim’s family. The female suspect, Chinecherem Nwaokoye, admitted she masterminded the plan after watching a movie and intended to give the money to her boyfriend to start a business.”

Ikioye Orutugu, commissioner of police in the state, described the act as “a reflection of deepening moral decay” among youths.

Orutugu said the suspects would be charged in court immediately and warned that the command would not condone such deception.

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He also urged parents to keep a closer watch on their children and the kind of peer influence they are exposed to.



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