The Benue State Police Command has arrested two women for allegedly staging a fake kidnapping in a bid to extort ransom from the family of one of the suspects.
The command said the suspects, identified as Mary Torkuma and her friend, Evergreen Samuel, allegedly conspired to deceive Torkuma’s mother into believing she had been abducted and demanded ransom for her release.
The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, DSP Peter Aondona, disclosed this in a statement issued on Wednesday in Makurdi.
According to the police, Torkuma, a resident of Akpehe, Makurdi, left her residence on July 12, 2026, to visit Samuel at the North Bank area of the Benue State capital.
Three days later, the victim’s mother, who lives in Lagos State, reportedly received a phone call from an unknown number informing her that her daughter had been kidnapped and demanding payment of ransom.
The police said the report was immediately referred to the Command’s Violence Crime Response Unit, which launched an intelligence-led investigation.
The investigation, according to the statement, led operatives to a hotel in the Ankpa Quarters area of Makurdi, where Torkuma was allegedly found safe and in the company of Samuel.
Police further revealed that Samuel had travelled from Abia State to Benue to participate in the alleged plot.
Preliminary investigations indicated that the two women orchestrated the fake abduction to fraudulently obtain money from Torkuma’s mother by creating the false impression that she had been kidnapped.
“The suspects are currently in police custody while investigations continue. They will be charged to court upon the conclusion of the investigation,” the statement added.
Reacting to the incident, the Commissioner of Police in Benue State, Cletus Nwadiogbu, warned residents against engaging in criminal acts, including staging fake kidnapping incidents.
He said such actions not only constitute criminal offences but also divert security personnel and resources from responding to genuine emergencies.
The commissioner reaffirmed the command’s commitment to intelligence-driven policing and urged members of the public to promptly report suspicious activities to the nearest police station.
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