The Ondo State Security Network Agency, Amotekun, has apprehended a total of 28 individuals involved in various criminal activities across different areas of the state. Among them were two female students from a secondary school who orchestrated a false kidnapping scheme and extorted money from their mother.
The suspects, aged 13 and 15, respectively, were in junior secondary school (JSS) 1 and JSS 3. They concealed themselves in Oka-Akoko, Akoko South-West Local Government Area, and contacted their mother, posing as kidnappers, demanding a ransom of N100,000.
Akogun Adetunji Adeleye, the commander of Amotekun in the state, disclosed the details while presenting the suspects to the public at the command headquarters in Akure, the capital city, on Monday. He revealed that the girls also called and threatened the monarch of their town, coercing him to pay the ransom within 24 hours.
“The 28 suspects we are parading today (Monday) show that we have more kidnapping than any other criminal activities. This is in continuation of our efforts at ensuring that kidnapping in Ondo State becomes a thing of the past,” said Adeleye.
He emphasized that the arrest of the suspects was in collaboration with the operatives of the Department of State Security, as the telephone line used by the girls was tracked to their location.
One of the girls, who confessed to the crime, revealed that her elder sister had lured her into it. She stated, “My sister and I spent the night at our grandma’s place and left there around 6:00 am the following day. While on our way back home, my (elder) sister told me that she had a plan to get money from our mother. She then revealed her plan to declare ourselves kidnapped and asked for N50,000 each ransom from our mother.”
The 13-year-old girl further admitted that it was her sister who taught her what to say during the phone call with their mother, unaware that they were speaking to the monarch, who they threatened to harm the captives if the ransom was not paid quickly.
