Police parade teenager who ‘faked her kidnap’

The Lagos state police command on Monday paraded some suspects, including Dorcas Adilewa, a 19-year-old girl who allegedly faked her kidnap to defraud her father.

Imohimi Edgal, the state commissioner of police, said Adilewa planned with one Ifeoluwa Ogunbanjo, her friend, who allegedly provided her with a phone.

According to Edgal, Adilewa called her father, Adilewa Taiwo, demanding N600,000 ransom while claiming that she had been kidnapped.

Edgal said the suspects were arrested on July 13 following a report by Taiwo at Ketu police station.

“On July 7 at about 5 p.m., Adilewa Taiwo of No. 3, Kosumi Lane, Bello-Ketu, Lagos, reported at Ketu police station that he received a call from phone number 09057432362,” Edgal said.

“He was told that his daughter, Dorcas Adilewa, was being held hostage and that if he does not want her killed, he should pay a ransom of N600,000 to secure her release.

“Investigation into the case commenced immediately and the above phone number that was used by the suspects was geo-located to Ijebu-Igbo area of Ogun state.

“The O/C Anti-Kidnapping led his operatives to Ijebu-Igbo on July 12 and combed the area in search of the supposed victim till the following morning.

“When the fake kidnappers realised that the police were closing in on them, the supposed victim decided to call the complainant to inform him that she has been released, after he had deposited the sum of N8,000 naira in her UBA account number: 2087804991.”

Speaking to journalists during the parade, Adilewa said she planned her kidnap in order to source money for her mother whom she says needed to repay a loan.

“I wanted to help my mummy. She collected loan from cooperative and has not been able to pay back. I connived with her to lie to my father that I was kidnapped,” Adilewa said.

Edgal said when Adilewa was being debriefed upon her release, she confessed that she planned the fake kidnap with Ogunbanjo.

“Investigation is in progress and on completion, the suspects will be charged to court accordingly,” he said.

However, Ogunbanjo said she was not part of the kidnap plan.

“She called me to come and carry her in our bustop but she came to my side at Ijebu Igbo that told my mother that she was kidnapped, so my mum gave her food to eat. Later, she asked me if i had airtime on my phone, I gave her the phone and she went outside to make a call not knowing that she went to demand money from her mum and dad,” Ogunbanjo said.

“I met her in church, white garment church at Ketu. I asked her what she was doing at Ijebu-Igbo and she told me she entered kidnapper’s vehicle and that she escaped and came to Ijebu-Igbo straight.

“So, my mum gave her N500 naira and she called her daddy to send N1000 to her so that she can come home. None of us has an account, so I went to get my neighbour’s account number. Thank God, she did not used the account eventually and I didn’t know her daddy had already sent N8000 to her won account. It was because she used my phone to call that I was taken with her.”

Among the suspects paraded was another girl who confessed to killing four people.