Woman fakes own k!dnap to Extort #500,000 from family
Akure: In a bizarre twist of deception, the Ondo State Police Command has uncovered a self-orchestrated kidnapping involving a 42-year-old woman, Mrs. Sanmori Taiwo, who allegedly staged her own abduction to extort money from relatives abroad
DSP Olushola Ayanlade, the Command’s Spokesperson, made this known in a statement on Wednesday in Akure.
Ayanlade explained that the incident occurred on August 23 between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. at her residence on Road 5, PowerLine, Ondo City.
The police spokesperson said that Taiwo deliberately isolated herself in a separate room in her residence after conspiring with her 62-year-old husband, Pastor Sanmori Olubumi Joshua, to stage her own abduction.
He said that the husband subsequently placed calls to the wife’s relatives using her mobile phone number, falsely claiming that she had been kidnapped by unknown gunmen who were demanding the sum of 10 million Naira as ransom.
“Suspicious of the claims, one of the relatives, Mr Fasegha O. Joseph, through a written petition, reported the matter to the Commissioner of Police, CP Adebowale Lawal, who directed the Command’s Special Anti-Kidnapping Squad (SAKS).
“Acting swiftly on the report, an investigation team from the Command’s anti-kidnapping squad, supported by Enu-owa Division in Ondo City, proceeded to Sanmori’s residence in Ondo Town, where Mrs Taiwo was found.
“She falsely claimed to have just been released by kidnappers after a ransom of Five Million Naira was allegedly paid.
“Upon further interrogation at the Command, Mrs Taiwo confessed that the abduction was staged as a self-kidnapping scheme, masterminded to extort money from her relatives abroad under the pretence of securing her release.
“She further admitted that her motive was to settle debts and provide for her personal needs,” Ayanlade said.
Ayanlade, therefore, said that both Taiwo and her husband were currently under investigation, and appropriate legal action would follow.
According to him, this case once again demonstrates the unwavering commitment of the Ondo State Police Command, under the leadership of CP Adebowale Lawal.
“We will diligently unravel all forms of criminality, whether real or staged, to preserve peace, protect lives, and safeguard the integrity of communities within the state,” he said.
