By Nkechinyere Ewa
The Ebonyi State Police Command has arrested a man, Ajah Ikechukwu, for allegedly staging his own kidnap and collecting N1 million ransom from his family.
Ikechukwu, a native of Ngwogwo Community, Ishiagu, in Ivo Local Government Area of the state, allegedly went into hiding on August 10, 2026, and falsely claimed that he had been kidnapped.
According to the Commissioner of Police, Ebonyi State Command, CP Hope Urunwa Okafor, the suspect subsequently contacted his family members and demanded N25 million as ransom.
The CP disclosed this on Thursday during a press briefing at the Command Headquarters in Abakaliki, where he presented the operational achievements of the Command from April 2026 to date.
Okafor said that although the suspect demanded N25 million, his family eventually transferred N1 million into the bank account he provided.
He said the suspect was subsequently arrested following diligent investigation and intelligence gathering by the police.
“During interrogation, he confessed to having orchestrated the purported kidnapping and ransom demand,” the Commissioner said.
The police boss warned that staging kidnappings and extorting unsuspecting family members under false pretences were serious criminal offences that would be investigated and prosecuted.
He assured residents that the Command would continue to deploy intelligence-led policing strategies to detect and dismantle criminal activities across the state.
The Commissioner also disclosed that the Command arrested 699 suspects, comprising 660 males and 39 females, in connection with 372 reported cases during the period under review.
He said 309 suspects had been charged to court in connection with 162 cases, while investigations into other cases were ongoing.
According to him, the Command also recovered 31 assorted firearms, 33 rounds of ammunition of different calibres and three vehicles within the period.