Police arrest two women for staging fake kidnap in Benue

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The Benue State Police Command has arrested two women for allegedly staging a fake kidnapping scheme to extort money from a family.

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The command’s spokesperson, DSP Peter Aondongu, disclosed this in a statement issued on Wednesday and made available to journalists in Makurdi.

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According to Aondongu, one of the suspects, identified as Mary Torkuma, who resides in Akpehe, Makurdi, left her home on July 12, 2026, to visit a friend, Miss Evergreen Samuel, at North Bank, a suburb of the state capital.

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The police spokesman said the two women allegedly conspired to deceive Torkuma’s family into paying ransom by falsely claiming that she had been abducted.

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The statement read in part, “On 15th July 2026, a report was received by the Command’s Violence Crime Response Unit, Makurdi, that one Miss Mary Torkuma of Akpehe, Makurdi, had left her apartment on 12th July 2026 to visit a friend at North Bank area of Makurdi.

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“The following day, her mother, who resides in Lagos State, received a telephone call from an unknown number demanding ransom and claiming that her daughter had been kidnapped.”

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Aondongu said operatives of the Violence Crime Response Unit launched an intelligence-driven investigation, which led them to a hotel in the Ankpa Quarters area of Makurdi, where the alleged victim, Mary Torkuma, was found alongside her accomplice, Evergreen Samuel.

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He added that Samuel had travelled from Abia state to take part in the alleged scheme.

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The police spokesperson said further investigation revealed that the suspects allegedly planned the fake abduction to extort money from Torkuma’s mother by creating the impression that she had been kidnapped.

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He said the suspects were currently in police custody while investigations continued, adding that they would be charged to court after the conclusion of the probe.

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The statement quoted the Commissioner of Police, Cletus Nwadiogbu, as warning residents against engaging in criminal activities, including staging false kidnapping incidents.

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The commissioner noted that such acts divert security resources from genuine emergencies and are punishable under the law.

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The command assured residents of its commitment to intelligence-led policing and urged members of the public to report suspicious activities to the nearest police station.

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