The Edo State Police Command has arrested an 18-year-old girl, Obehi Odine, for reportedly staging her own kidnapping and demanding a ransom of N10 million in Ekpoma, Edo State.
This was disclosed in a statement released by the Command’s Public Relations Officer, ASP Eno Ikodem, on Tuesday and seen by Dockaysworld.
The arrest followed a report of a suspected kidnapping along Old INEC Road, Ekpoma, received around noon on January 12, 2026. Police investigations later revealed that the incident was a case of self-kidnapping.
According to the statement, the suspect was tracked through technical intelligence and field investigations shortly after the report was made. Upon arrest, she reportedly confessed that the kidnapping was deliberately fabricated to extort money.
The development came as the Commissioner of Police in Edo State, CP Monday Agbonika, ordered a reorganisation of the Ekpoma Division as part of ongoing security assessments.
He also approved the posting of CSP Tomofe Nwabueze as the new Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of the division.
In a related operation, the Police recorded another breakthrough in Ubiaja, where a bush-combing exercise led to the arrest of 11 suspected kidnappers.
The operation was conducted around Akwocha Camp and surrounding forest corridors by the Police, in collaboration with the Nigerian Military and the Edo State Security Corps.
Police said the suspects were believed to be members of an organised kidnapping syndicate operating from a concealed forest enclave identified through drone surveillance.
Items recovered during the operation included 24 Dane guns, 17 cutlasses, three battle axes, gun powder, mobile phones, solar panels, assorted charms, one motorcycle, and N209,700 in cash.
The Commissioner of Police warned members of the public against false kidnapping reports, noting that such acts waste security resources, create panic, and undermine public trust. He added that anyone found engaging in such activities would be prosecuted.
The Police reaffirmed their commitment to technology-driven policing, intelligence-led operations, and sustained forest domination to dismantle criminal networks across the state.
This comes amidst outcry over incessant kidnappings in Ekpoma. In a recent protest, a protester was killed after being shot by a soldier. Stakeholders have since called on the government to release 52 arrested after the protests.Â
