I faked my kidnap to raise funds for husband, housewife tells Police

A middle-aged housewife identified as Mrs Yemi Samuel has been arrested by men of the Kwara State Police Command for faking her own kidnap in Kabba town in Kogi State.

Yemi Samuel was among the nine suspects paraded at the Police headquarter, GRA, Ilorin on Wednesday.

Three other suspects, Jenmo Usman, 27, Iliashu Mohammed, 25, and Maude Umaru, 21 all suspected to be Fulani herdsmen were arrested for alleged kidnapping, criminal intimidation and conspiracy.

The trio allegedly conspired and threatened their employer, one Sarafa Yusuf on telephone that they would kidnap him if he failed to give them two million naira.

Parading the suspects on Wednesday, Kwara state Commissioner of Police, Mr Kayode Egbetokun said that Mrs Yemi Samuel who lives in Kabba, Kogi State allegedly went into hiding at her parents’ home in Ilorin claiming that she was kidnapped by an unknown gang while cleaning her compound and taken to an unknown destination.

Egbetokun said that from her hideout, Yemi demanded N5 million ransom which was later reduced to N1 million.

He said that effort was intensified by her husband to gather N500, 000 which was taken to Iluke town in Kabba/Bunu local government in Kogi State.

CP Egbetokun said that before the completion of the transaction, SIB operatives had tracked the suspect to Kulende area in Ilorin, where she was arrested.

Egbetokun said, “On 15/06/2019 at about 0530 hours, Mrs Yemi Samuel hatched a self-kidnapped scenario. She left her home and went into hiding, claiming she had been kidnapped while cleaning the compound by an unknown gang and taken to an unknown destination and demanded for N5 million ransom for her release.

“She added that her kidnappers weren’t willing to talk to anyone on phone due to fear of their voice being recognised. She later called and said that the money has been reduced to N1 million.”

Egbetokun stated further, “Effort was intensified and N500, 000 cash was arranged by her husband as well as family and well-wishers.

She directed them to take the money to Iluke town but before the transaction could be effected, SIB Kwara operatives led by O/C SIB, Saka Fagade tracked the suspect to Kulende area, Sango, Ilorin and effected the arrest of Mrs Yemi, who hid herself in her parents’ rented apartment,” he said.

The suspect, Mrs Samuel who said that she was a Mathematics graduate stated that she committed the crime to raise money for her husband whom she said was poor.

She said, “I’m a graduate and I read Mathematics and I live in Kabba town with my husband. Things are hard for us and my husband is not finding life easy,  so I decided to raise money for him from members of his family and that is why I went to hide myself thinking that his family would raise money for him to rescue me.”

On the three other suspects who demanded N2 million from their boss so that they would not kidnap him, Egbetokun said, “on 10/6/2019, one Sarafa Yusuf of Kebe compound, Ilota via Idofian Kwara state reported that on 9/6/2019 at about 1800 hours, he received a phone call on his GSM number demanding N2 million only from him or else, he will be kidnapped and killed.

“Based on this, the complainant made an arrangement with the Police on where to drop the money which was at Iyana Eleja junction via Idofian.

“It was later discovered that one Jenmo Usman, a worker of the complainant was the one that picked the polythene bag at 1130 hrs of the same date at the above-mentioned place where he was immediately arrested by the Police and his arrest led to the arrests of two other suspects namely Iliasu Mohammed and Maude Umaru, who were also workers of the complainant. ”

Egbetokun said that all the suspects would soon be charged to court as soon as investigation was concluded on their respective cases.