The Lagos State Police Command has arrested five suspects for allegedly staging a fake kidnapping after investigations revealed that a viral video showing a schoolboy pleading for help was part of a coordinated plot to extort money from his mother.
The arrests followed an intelligence-led operation by operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Tactical Squad, who uncovered that the purported abduction was carefully orchestrated by the alleged victim in collaboration with his friends.
According to a statement issued on Friday by the command’s spokesperson, SP Abimbola Adebisi, the case was initially reported on November 26, 2025, at the Ago Palace Police Division as a missing-person incident, triggering public concern.
However, police investigations later established that the alleged victim, Victor Aligwo, conspired with four accomplices to stage the kidnapping after learning that his mother had recently received ₦4 million from a contribution.
Investigators said the group recorded a distress video in the room of one of the suspects, Umeh Victor, portraying Aligwo as being held captive. The footage was subsequently circulated to create panic and pressure the victim’s family into paying ransom.
Police said a ransom of ₦1.7 million was eventually paid by the victim’s mother and transferred through a Point-of-Sale (POS) terminal to the account of one of the suspects. The money was later shared among the group.
The suspects were arrested between December 17 and 18, 2025, at the Volkswagen Roundabout and within the Ago Palace area of Lagos.
Those arrested were identified as Kosiko Patrick (17), Victor Aligwo (15), David Odudu (19), Anyabike Kingsley (20), and Umeh Victor (19). All are currently in police custody.
“The POS terminal used for the ransom transaction was traced, leading to the arrest of all suspects involved,” Adebisi said, adding that investigations are ongoing and the suspects will be charged to court upon conclusion of the probe.
Reacting to the development, the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, CP Olohundare Jimoh, warned criminal elements against engaging in acts that terrorise or defraud residents, assuring the public of the command’s commitment to intelligence-driven policing.
The police also urged residents to remain calm, stressing that the incident was not a genuine kidnapping, and encouraged the public to promptly report suspicious activities to security agencies.
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