Police in Ondo State have arrested a 22-year-old truck driver, Tobi Oluwatuyi, alongside two friends Jubril Abu, 20, and Segun Oluwatuyi, 21 for allegedly staging his own kidnapping and collecting a N1.5 million ransom from his family. A police source said the incident was reported to the Special Anti-Kidnapping Squad by a concerned citizen, prompting an investigation that revealed the abduction was deliberately orchestrated.
State police spokesperson Ayanlade Olayinka said the suspects confessed, describing the act as “a calculated attempt… to obtain money fraudulently”. He warned against the rising trend of self-kidnappings and urged the public to report such cases promptly. “They will be charged to court at the conclusion of the ongoing investigation,” he said, adding that paying ransoms fuels criminal activity and that the command remains committed to safeguarding lives and property.