The Ondo State Police Command has arrested a 29-year-old man, Bello Azeez, for allegedly staging his own kidnap to swindle his family and friends of ₦500,000.
Azeez, a native of Ipele in Owo Local Government Area, was arrested on Saturday after investigators discovered that he masterminded the false abduction when his father declined his request for a loan to settle a personal debt.
According to police sources, the suspect, who had earlier informed relatives that he was travelling to Ibadan, began making frantic calls, claiming he had been abducted and demanding ransom for his release.
Disturbed by the development, his parents and close friends rallied to raise funds, even creating a GoFundMe account, and successfully contributed ₦500,000.
The money was then transferred—at Azeez’s insistence—into his own bank account.
Suspicion, however, grew when family members noticed that the supposed kidnappers demanded the ransom be paid directly into the victim’s account—an unusual practice in abduction cases. They immediately alerted the police.
Operatives tracked the phone number used for the ransom calls and discovered that Azeez never left Owo town during the period of his alleged captivity.
He was subsequently arrested and, during interrogation, confessed to orchestrating the act.
Confirming the incident in a statement, police spokesperson, Ayanlade Olayinka, described the case as a disturbing example of greed and deceit.
“This case once again underscores the dangers of greed, deceit, and the lure of quick wealth, which often push individuals into acts capable of ruining their future,” Olayinka said, adding that the suspect will be charged in court after investigations are concluded.
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