The Benue State Police Command has arrested two women for allegedly staging a fake kidnapping in a bid to extort ransom from a family.
The command said the suspects, identified as Mary Torkuma of Akpehe, Makurdi, and Evergreen Samuel from Abia State, allegedly conspired to deceive Torkuma’s mother into believing her daughter had been abducted.
According to a statement issued on Tuesday by the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Orchia Peter Aondongu, the case was reported to the Command’s Violence Crime Response Unit (VCRU) on July 15, 2026.
The police said Mary Torkuma had left her residence on July 12 to visit a friend in the North Bank area of Makurdi. The following day, her mother, who lives in Lagos State, reportedly received a call from an unknown number demanding ransom and claiming that her daughter had been kidnapped.
Acting on the report, operatives of the VCRU launched an intelligence-led investigation, which led them to a hotel in the Ankpa Quarters area of Makurdi.
The police said the supposed victim was found in the hotel alongside her alleged accomplice, Evergreen Samuel, who had travelled from Abia State.
Preliminary investigations, according to the command, revealed that the two women allegedly orchestrated the fake kidnapping to extort money from Torkuma’s mother through a false ransom demand.
The suspects are currently in police custody, while investigations are ongoing. The police said they would be charged to court upon the conclusion of the investigation.
Reacting to the incident, the Commissioner of Police in Benue State, Cletus C.N. Nwadiogbu, warned members of the public against engaging in criminal activities, including staging fake kidnappings.
He noted that such acts divert security personnel and resources away from genuine emergencies and are punishable under the law.
Benue: Police arrest two women for allegedly staging fake kidnap to extort ransom