Police arrest two women for staging fake kidnap in Benue

Police in Nigeria's Benue State have arrested two women accused of orchestrating a fake kidnapping plot. The suspects, Mary Torkuma and Evergreen Samuel, allegedly conspired to deceive Torkuma's mother into paying a ransom.

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On 15th July 2026, a report was received by the Command’s Violence Crime Response Unit, Makurdi, that one Miss Mary Torkuma of Akpehe, Makurdi, had left her apartment on 12th July 2026 to visit a friend at North Bank area of Makurdi.

Torkuma reportedly left her home on July 12, 2026, to visit Samuel. The following day, Torkuma's mother, who lives in Lagos, received a call from an unknown number demanding ransom and claiming her daughter had been abducted. Police launched an investigation and found Torkuma and Samuel at a hotel in Makurdi.

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The following day, her mother, who resides in Lagos State, received a telephone call from an unknown number demanding ransom and claiming that her daughter had been kidnapped.

Authorities stated that Samuel had traveled from Abia state to participate in the scheme. The suspects are in custody, and further investigations are ongoing before they face charges. The Commissioner of Police, Cletus Nwadiogbu, cautioned residents against staging false kidnapping incidents, emphasizing that such acts misuse security resources and are punishable by law. The command pledged its commitment to intelligence-led policing and urged the public to report suspicious activities.

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The suspects were currently in police custody while investigations continued, adding that they would be charged to court after the conclusion of the probe.