Two men arrested for faking their kidnap in Lagos

Men of the Lagos State police command Police in Lagos State have arrested a 21-year-old 200-level student of Lagos State University of Education, Ijaninkin, Ayodele Balogun and his friend, Dennis Okunomo, a 21-year-old student of National Institute of Information Technology (NIIT) for faking their abduction in Lagos.

Disclosing this to newsmen, the spokesperson of the command, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, said Okunomo initiated the kidnap incident so he could help raise money for Balogun who they said comes from a poor family.

According to Hundeyin, on February 2, Balogun disappeared from home and used his phone to send a message to his father that he had been kidnapped, adding that his abductors were demanding $20,000 as ransom for his release. He further claimed that the abductors insisted that the money must be paid through Bitcoin. 

Balogun’s father, who is a driver in a company, informed the management of the firm to assist him raise the funds, but they were unwilling to give him money. Rather, they advised him to report to the police.

“Balogun went to stay with Okunomo in his father’s hotel because he has a permanent room there. When the money was not coming, they went to a bush and took a picture of Balogun while lying on the floor naked and sent it to his father, threatening to harm him if they don’t bring the money. The father reached out to Okunomo and he denied knowing anything about his disappearance. When this was not working, Okunomo also faked his own disappearance hoping that his own father would pay so he could hand the money over to Balogun.

They presented the case as if the same kidnapper that abducted Balogun kidnapped Okunomo. So, two families were running helter-skelter. They sent Okunomo’s naked picture to his father and demanded $80,000 ransom for the two of them. After a while, there was no response from the families, they increased the ransom to $100,000 and because Okunomo also faked his own kidnap, they couldn’t stay in the hotel and they decided to stay in a nearby bush.

They were in the bush for five days but two days after they were in the bush, they went to the company where Balogun’s father was working and took pictures, threatening that they knew where he was working and that they would get him too. “So, the father was scared and informed the company. The company alerted the staff and they started closing earlier and got more security men. 

On March 16, they decided to go back to Okunomo’s father’s hotel and claimed that they escaped from the kidnappers’ den. where they were arrested.''

Hundeyin said the young men were interrogated and it was discovered they faked their abduction so as to gather money from their parents. He added that they will be arraigned in court as soon as the investigation is completed.