Ondo Police arrested a pastor and his wife for staging a fake abduction to extort ₦10m from relatives abroad. The couple confessed after investigation.
The Ondo State Police Command has uncovered a dramatic case of deception involving a 42-year-old woman, Mrs. Sanmori Taiwo, and her 62-year-old husband, Pastor Sanmori Olubumi Joshua.
The couple was arrested after allegedly orchestrating a false kidnap scheme to demand a ₦10 million ransom from Mrs. Taiwo’s unsuspecting relatives abroad.
According to the Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Olushola Ayanlade, the incident occurred on Friday, August 23, between 4:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. at the couple’s residence on Road 5, PowerLine, Ondo City.
Investigators discovered that Mrs. Taiwo deliberately isolated herself in a separate room within the house while her husband began contacting her relatives.
Using his wife’s mobile phone, Pastor Sanmori allegedly impersonated kidnappers, claiming that Mrs. Taiwo had been abducted by armed men.
He went further to pressure the relatives, demanding a staggering ₦10 million ransom as the condition for her release.
However, the couple’s plan began to crumble when one of the relatives, Mr. Fasegha O. Joseph, grew doubtful of the story.
Rather than rushing to gather the ransom, Joseph drafted a formal petition and submitted it to the Commissioner of Police, CP Adebowale Lawal, detailing his concerns about the suspicious circumstances surrounding the supposed kidnap.
Moved by the petition, CP Lawal immediately directed the Command’s Special Anti-Kidnapping Squad (SAKS) to commence investigations without delay.
Working in collaboration with the Enu-owa Police Division in Ondo City, the SAKS operatives tracked the alleged victim’s whereabouts.
To the shock of the relatives and the police, Mrs. Taiwo was found inside her own home during a raid on the family’s residence.
At first, she attempted to sustain the lie by claiming that she had just regained freedom from the hands of her captors.
She further alleged that her family had already parted with ₦5 million as part of the ransom demanded.
Upon closer interrogation at the police headquarters, Mrs. Taiwo’s story collapsed.
She eventually confessed that the entire abduction narrative had been fabricated and was, in fact, a scheme she and her husband jointly devised.
She revealed that the motivation behind the false kidnapping was financial pressure, admitting that she had debts to settle and personal expenses to cover.
According to her confession, the plan was to trick her relatives abroad into raising funds, believing that they were paying for her freedom from kidnappers.
DSP Ayanlade, who made this known in a press statement on Wednesday, August 27, confirmed that both suspects are now in police custody.
They are currently undergoing further investigation and are expected to face prosecution.
He described the act as criminal, shameful, and a dangerous precedent that undermines genuine security challenges faced by residents of Ondo State.
In his words: “This incident underscores the Command’s commitment to unravelling crime, whether real or staged.
“The police under the leadership of CP Adebowale Lawal will not relent in preserving peace, safeguarding lives, and ensuring the integrity of our communities.
“Anyone found attempting to exploit the system through deceit will face the full wrath of the law.”
Cases of self-kidnapping, though relatively rare, have been reported in parts of Nigeria as individuals attempt to exploit relatives, friends, or even employers for financial gain.
Security experts warn that such false alarms not only divert law enforcement resources but also endanger genuine victims of abduction whose cases may suffer delay.
The Ondo State Police Command has therefore urged the public to remain vigilant and always verify suspicious claims of kidnap before parting with money.
The Command also advised residents to immediately report any suspected criminal activity rather than rushing into ransom negotiations.
With the investigation still ongoing, the fate of Mrs. Taiwo and her husband now lies in the hands of the law, as the police prepare charges against the couple for conspiracy and fraud.