Man sells property to pay ransom for brother’s fake kidnap in Edo State
A distressing case in Emaudo, Ekpoma, Edo State has emerged where a man sold his property to pay ransom for his brother’s fake kidnapping, shedding light on a growing trend of staged abductions and false ransom demands in the region. According to the Edo State Police Command, the incident began on January 10, 2026, when a supposed kidnapping of 34-year-old vulcanizer Idris Isiaka was reported to police after his family members in Kogi State received messages claiming he had been abducted and that ransom of Twelve Million Naira (₦12,000,000) was demanded for his release.
The suspect, Isiaka, allegedly conspired with two accomplices to orchestrate his own kidnapping, circulating the story through a social media blogger to make the situation seem real and urgent. Believing the threat to be genuine, Isiaka’s brother sold his property to raise part of the ransom money and wired it to the supposed captors. The ransom funds were then shared between Isiaka and his accomplices, identified as Mohammed Saliu and Godwin Mohammed, who are currently at large.
Police later arrested Isiaka, and he reportedly confessed to staging his own abduction in the bid to extort money from his family. Authorities have indicated that he will be arraigned in court once investigations conclude, underscoring that such deceptive practices are serious criminal offences that waste valuable law enforcement resources and distress families unnecessarily.
The police have also raised alarm over the rise in self-kidnapping and fake ransom cases in Edo State, warning the public to be vigilant against such fraudulent schemes. They urged community members to report suspicious activities quickly to prevent financial exploitation and to allow security agents to act swiftly against perpetrators.
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