The Delta Police Command on Thursday paraded a 17-year-old boy (name withheld) who allegedly faked his kidnap in the Agbor area of Delta State, alongside 11 other suspects.
Parading the suspects at the police headquarters in Asaba, the state capital, the Commissioner of Police for the Delta State Command, CP Abaniwonda Olufemi, stated that the teenager had already squandered the ransom paid before being arrested.
He said, “On March 20, 2024, the DPO of Agbor division received a complaint about the suspected kidnap of a 17-year-old boy (name withheld) in Okhumera quarter, Agbor-Obi.
“The suspect sent a voice note to his sister stating that he had been kidnapped and that the kidnappers were demanding N1m.
“The DPO swung into action, acting on technically generated intelligence, and arrested three suspects.
“Investigations revealed that the 17-year-old connived with his friends and faked his own kidnap.
“Before they were arrested, they had already collected a ransom of N700,000 and had squandered the money. Investigations are ongoing.”
Olufemi, who also lamented the prevalence of hard drugs on the streets, said the command is currently working in synergy with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency to address the menace in society.
According to him, on April 6, 2024, operatives of the Eagle-Net Special Squad, while on routine patrol on the Asaba-Agbor Expressway, Isele-Asagba, flagged down a white Toyota Hiace bus driven by one Sunday Eze, 53. The bus and the driver were subjected to a search.
“During the search, 375 bottles of CSP codeine, 44 bottles of CSC codeine, 120 sachets of tramadol, and 33 sachets of Swinol were recovered from him,” he said.
He stated that the suspect is in custody while investigations are ongoing, lamenting the effects of drugs on youths, which he said increases the rate of crime.
While appealing to members of the public, particularly Deltans, to cooperate with the police and other security agencies in the fight against crime and criminality by providing credible information, Olufemi said the command had achieved a lot within the period under review.
He directed all DPOs to sustain raids on identified black spots and drug dealers in their areas of responsibility, embark on visibility patrols/stop and search duties, and ensure that crime and criminality do not thrive in their areas.
