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Ebonyi State Police Command says a 16-year-old SS2 student at a private secondary school in Abakaliki has faked her own kidnapping.

The command said that the teenage girl allegedly contacted a family member claiming she had been kidnapped and demanded a ransom of N2 million for her release.

The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Joshua Ukandu, told reporters on Monday that a family friend helped her plan the hoax.

Ukandu said the girl attends a privately-owned school located on Watchman Street in Abakaliki.

DAILY POST reports that the girl is a native of Izzi Local Government Area and was due to return to school for the third term on Saturday.

The girl told police she had gone to buy second-hand clothes, known locally as ‘Okirika’, when someone tapped her from behind.

She claimed to have lost consciousness and woke up the next day at Ishieke Junction in Ebonyi Local Government Area.

She stated further that she often dreams of being kidnapped, and her mother regularly prays against it.

Upon regaining consciousness, she asked for directions back to Abakaliki town.

Instead of returning home, she went to the house of a family friend who had no idea she was missing.

Using the man’s phone, she messaged her brother, claiming she had been kidnapped and demanded N2 million ransom.

Her brother asked to speak with the kidnappers and requested their location, but she refused and blocked his number.

Later, she unblocked his number and sent an account number belonging to the family friend hosting her.

Unluckily for her, the phone was tracked.

Police raided the house and arrested everyone involved in the plot.

The police spokesperson confirmed that the command had launched a full investigation into the incident.

The girl has since been reunited with her family, though the matter remains under police investigation due to her age.

Teenage girl fakes own kidnap for ransom – Police

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will visit Abia State on May 23, to among other things, commission the 6.5 kilometre Port Harcourt Road in Aba, which was rebuilt by the administration of Governor Alex Otti administration after more than 15 years in dilapidation.

The Minister of Works, Dave Umahi disclosed this to journalists while inspecting the damage done at the Osisioma axis of the 56 kilometre Abia Tower of Peace, Umuahia to Rail Flyover, Aba section of the Enugu-Port Harcourt expressway, a different Federal government project.

Umahi expressed joy that work on Port Harcourt Road, Aba, which was left in a dilapidated state over the years, had now been completed by Abia State government, awaiting commissioning by Mr. President.

The Minister commended Governor Otti for not only completing work on the road, but also for the quality job done.

“You know Otti is my relation and doing good while in office runs in our veins, so, I’m not surprised at what he is doing, I would have if he is not doing well,” he stated.

On the damaged portions of the expressway at Osisioma which is said to be about two kilometers long, the Minister directed the Controller of Works of the Ministry in Abia, to stop the contractor handling the underground drainage for Abia State government that caused the damage and report to the Ministry’s headquarters in Abuja for discussions.

Umahi equally promised to meet and discuss with Governor Otti on the best way to get the issue settled.

The Minister further disclosed that the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway which reconstruction started in 2013, will be completed in November this year and subsequently commissioned by President Tinubu.

Tinubu arrives Abia May 23 to commission Otti’s road project, others – Umahi

The grieving family of Hafsoh Lawal, a final-year student of the Kwara State College of Education brutally murdered in February, has appealed to the Kwara State High Court in Ilorin to release her remains for proper Islamic burial.

The appeal was presented by the Kwara State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Senior Ibrahim Sulyman, during the continuation of the trial of five suspects charged in connection with the murder.

The lead suspect, Abdulrahman Bello, is facing charges alongside four others for conspiracy and homicide.

During Monday’s court session, the lead defence counsel, Mr. Chukwudi Maduka, who is representing Bello, raised no objections to the family’s request.

He also extended his condolences, acknowledging the family’s pain.

The hearing saw the testimony of three additional witnesses – two police investigators and a pathologist from the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Dr. Olaleke Folaranmi.

According to investigators from the ‘C’ Division, Oja Oba, and the State CID, the first defendant, Bello, voluntarily confessed to the crime.

They said he led police officers to his apartment, where some body parts were recovered, and later to two separate dumpsites in Olunlade and Okolowo-Eyenkorin where additional remains were discovered.

“By the time we got to the dumpsite, the body parts had already been moved by refuse collectors,” one of the CID officers testified. “A scavenger eventually led us to where they were dumped, and the suspect confirmed they were the deceased’s remains.”

The prosecution also presented a video recording showing the recovery of body parts from Bello’s apartment. Despite opposition from the defence team, the court admitted the footage along with its certificate of compliance as evidence.

Another witness, Sergeant Moses, testified that Hafsoh was reported missing on February 11. He explained that Bello became a prime suspect after phone records showed he was her last known contact. Upon searching Bello’s residence, police found Hafsoh’s personal belongings, blood-stained weapons, charms, and human body parts soaked in gin. He also alleged that Bello attempted to bribe officers during the investigation.

Dr. Folaranmi, the pathologist, confirmed through autopsy that the remains were human and consistent with those of Hafsoh. His findings were submitted to the court as Exhibit P17.

Presiding Judge, Justice Hannah Ajayi, denied a bail application filed by the defence, describing it as a distraction. She assured the court that the matter would be handled with urgency and adjourned the case to May 21, 2025, for continuation of the hearing.

Family of murdered Kwara student plead for release of remains for burial