Police operatives in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, have arrested two sisters and a couple in connection with a staged kidnapping aimed at extorting ₦5 million from the victims’ own parents.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the spokesperson of the FCT Police Command, SP Josephine Adeh, revealed that the suspects meticulously orchestrated the fake abduction of a 16-year-old girl, Miss LeadWay Innocent, with the knowledge and participation of her elder sister, Miss Joy Innocent, and Joy’s lover, Mr. Mayowa Adedeji—who is legally married to Mrs. Tina Mayowa, also implicated in the crime.
According to the police report, on July 30, 2025, a man identified as Mr. Innocent reported to the Jikwoyi Police Division that his daughter, LeadWay, had left home on July 18 to sit for an exam at Government Secondary School, Karu, but had not returned. Days later, he received a call from unknown individuals demanding ₦5 million for her release.
Acting swiftly, officers launched a discreet investigation using coordinated intelligence and digital tracking. The phone number used for the ransom call was traced to a residence in Jikwoyi Phase II. When police operatives stormed the location, they found the “abducted” girl, LeadWay Innocent, relaxing and conversing freely with Mrs. Tina Mayowa—showing no signs of duress.
Further investigation led to the arrest of Joy Innocent and Mr. Mayowa Adedeji. Police uncovered that the entire scheme was a coordinated effort: Joy and her boyfriend conspired to stage her younger sister’s kidnapping with the girl’s full cooperation. The aim was to extort money from their unsuspecting father, who was already making frantic efforts to gather the ransom.
All four suspects—LeadWay, Joy, Mayowa, and Tina—are now in custody and have confessed to the crime. They are expected to be charged to court following the conclusion of investigations.
FCT Commissioner of Police, CP Ajao Saka Adewale, strongly condemned the act, especially the betrayal carried out within a family. He called on parents to foster honest communication in their homes and pay close attention to their children’s emotional and behavioral wellbeing.
