By Ado Oyeyemi
The Benue State Police Command has arrested two women for allegedly orchestrating a fake kidnapping in a bid to extort money from a family member.
The command’s spokesperson, DSP Peter Aondongu, disclosed the development in a statement issued on Wednesday in Makurdi.
According to the police, one of the suspects, Mary Torkuma, who resides in the Akpehe area of Makurdi, left her residence on July 12, 2026, to visit her friend, Evergreen Samuel, at North Bank in the Benue State capital.
Aondongu said the following day, Torkuma’s mother, who lives in Lagos State, received a phone call from an unidentified individual claiming that her daughter had been kidnapped and demanding a ransom for her release.
Following the report, operatives of the Command’s Violence Crime Response Unit launched an intelligence driven investigation that led them to a hotel in the Ankpa Quarters area of Makurdi.
The officers reportedly found Torkuma in the company of Samuel, who police said had travelled from Abia State to participate in the alleged scheme.
Preliminary investigations, according to the police, revealed that the two suspects conspired to stage the abduction in an attempt to obtain money from Torkuma’s mother by creating the false impression that she had been kidnapped.
The police said both suspects are currently in custody, while investigations continue. They are expected to be charged in court upon the conclusion of the investigation.
Reacting to the incident, the Commissioner of Police in Benue State, Cletus Nwadiogbu, warned residents against engaging in criminal acts, including staging fake kidnapping incidents.
He noted that fabricated abduction cases waste valuable security resources that should be deployed to genuine emergencies and warned that offenders would be prosecuted in accordance with the law.
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The command reaffirmed its commitment to intelligence led policing and urged members of the public to promptly report suspicious activities to the nearest police station.
