Lagos police arrest 26 foreigners over false kidnap claim

A total of 26 foreign nationals have been apprehended by the Lagos State Police Command as a result of an investigation into a reported kidnapping case that ultimately proved to be false, with 19 Chadians and seven Cameroonians among those taken into custody.

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The case began when a 22-year-old Cameroonian woman reported to the authorities that she had been kidnapped after traveling to Nigeria to meet a 39-year-old Chadian man she had been in an online relationship with.

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However, upon further investigation, it was discovered that the woman's report was false and had been made after she learned that the man was married, prompting the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr Fatai Tijani, to order the case be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department for further investigation.

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The initial report, made on June 16, had prompted a swift rescue operation, but communication challenges arose due to the woman's limited English proficiency, leading officers to initially treat the complaint as a legitimate kidnapping incident.

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According to a police source, the woman had traveled from Cameroon to meet her online lover, but upon discovering he was married, she sought to return home without his knowledge and fabricated a kidnapping story.

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The police source revealed that operatives had tracked the location where the woman claimed to be held and found several other foreign nationals residing in an apartment, resulting in the apprehension of 26 foreigners, aged 19 to 50 years, including four women.

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The individuals claimed to be involved in a networking business linked to a company called Ignite, but they were unable to provide valid travel documents, and some were suspected to have entered the country through irregular channels.

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The foreigners are currently undergoing profiling and immigration-related checks to determine their legal status and whether any laws have been violated, with the investigation being handled by the Diplomatic and Foreigners Desk of the SCID under the supervision of the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mr Dayo Akinbisehin.

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The police source stated that investigations are ongoing, and appropriate action will be taken based on the outcome of the case.