Operatives of the Intelligence Response Team of the Nigeria Police Force have rescued a 38-year-old Ivorian national, Kacou Alleby, in Ogun State after it was discovered that his reported abduction was staged.
Force spokesperson, ACP Benjamin Hundeyin, disclosed in a statement on Thursday that the operation followed a distress alert from the INTERPOL National Central Bureau in Abuja on behalf of Ivorian authorities.
Alleby was initially reported kidnapped on September 12, 2025, with his family in Abidjan receiving torture videos and voice notes demanding ransom.
However, police investigations revealed that Alleby conspired with a 28-year-old female compatriot, Angela Arisa, to fake the kidnap in order to extort money from his relatives.
Hundeyin said IRT operatives tracked the suspects to Matogun, Ogun State, where Arisa was arrested. She later led detectives to a hideout in Olambe Estate, where Alleby was found unhurt.
“The duo jointly produced the torture videos to pressure the victim’s family into paying ransom. Efforts are ongoing to track down other accomplices,” the police statement read.
Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, warned that self-kidnap is a serious crime under Nigerian law, stressing that such acts not only waste police resources but also damage the country’s image internationally.
The case adds to a growing list of fake abduction incidents in Nigeria. In August, the Ondo State Police Command arrested 29-year-old Bello Azeez, who allegedly staged his own kidnapping after his father refused to give him N500,000 to offset a debt.
Security experts have repeatedly raised concerns over the rising trend of self-kidnap, warning that it undermines the fight against genuine kidnapping cases.
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