The Lagos State Police Command has arrested a 26-year-old housewife, Misturah Bada, alongside her accomplice, Adedamola Daniel, for allegedly staging her own abduction and extorting ₦2.5 million from her husband, who resides in South Africa.
Police spokesperson, SP Abimbola Adebisi, disclosed that the suspects were apprehended after investigations uncovered that the reported kidnapping was fabricated. The case began on November 24, 2025, at about 10:00 pm, when the woman’s husband contacted the police, claiming his wife had been kidnapped by armed men who initially demanded a ransom of ₦10 million, later reduced to ₦3 million.
Despite paying ₦2.5 million, the supposed abductors failed to release the victim, prompting the police to intensify investigations. Mrs. Bada was later “released” and reunited with her family, during which she told investigators that she had been abducted by six armed men in a silver Toyota Venza and taken to an undisclosed location where her iPhone 12 Pro Max was seized.
However, police said inconsistencies in her account raised red flags. Further investigation led to the arrest of her accomplice, Adedamola Daniel, on December 3, 2025, in Ede, Osun State. A SIM card used to register the WhatsApp account through which ransom negotiations were conducted was recovered from him.
According to the police, Daniel confessed that Mrs. Bada requested his SIM card to open the WhatsApp account and that he supplied the one-time password sent to his line. When confronted with the evidence, Mrs. Bada allegedly admitted to faking her kidnapping in order to extort money from her husband.
The police also recovered the iPhone she had claimed was taken by her abductors. The phone was retrieved from a 34-year-old man, Yusuf Sodiq, who told investigators that he purchased it from Mrs. Bada for ₦380,000 and was instructed not to insert a SIM card into it.
Reacting to the incident, the Commissioner of Police, CP Olohundare Jimoh, warned residents against filing false reports and engaging in criminal deception, noting that such actions divert critical security resources. He urged the public to remain law-abiding and report suspicious activities through the appropriate police emergency channels.