A Nigerian woman faked her own kidnapping to extort a $1,200 ransom from her husband, police said on Tuesday, in a region of the west African nation plagued by abductions.
Authorities arrested the woman and her accomplice, a motorcycle taxi man who helped her stage it, after tracing the bank account given for her husband's payment of 200,000 naira ($1,200) to the taxi man himself.
"They have confessed to the crime and we are corroborating our investigation to be able to charge them in court," said Ebere Amarizu, a police spokesman in Enugu state.
Kidnapping for ransom is rife in southern Nigeria, particularly in the oil-producing Delta region, in the ethnic Igbo area to the north of it, where Enugu lies, and the commercial hub of Lagos.
In some cases, police suspect the victims collude with their abductors.
The multi-million dollar criminal enterprise pushes up the insurance and security costs for businesses, including foreign oil majors who have often been targeted in the past. ($1 = 160.1 naira)
Latest Stories
-
Mahama shouldn’t have openly directed Parliament to elect Speaker – Prof. Kwaku Asare
9 minutes -
Daily Insight for CEOs: The power of delegation – Empowering leaders within your organization
15 minutes -
Livestream: Newsfile discusses inaugurations, prisoner pardon and failed CJ petition
46 minutes -
Revisiting the forensic audit EC will increase credibility of future elections – Omane Boamah
3 hours -
Africa Food Systems Parliamentary Network urges governments to increase investment in agriculture
10 hours -
AU and partners urge youth to get involved in efforts to transform continent’s food systems
10 hours -
Fire kills 3-year-old at Asawase-Dagomba Line in Ashanti Region
11 hours -
Paskal A.B. Rois: How Mahama inspires me
11 hours -
Complete abandoned projects in Akatsi North District – Chiefs to Mahama
11 hours -
Painter and sculptor B. Acheampong turning his passion for art into profitable venture
12 hours -
Presidential lodge, RM residency in Ashanti region left to rot away
13 hours -
Herty Corgie highlights the essence of gratefulness in ‘My Gratitude’
14 hours -
ANNOUNCEMENT: Joy FM temporarily goes off air January 11
15 hours -
Yango honored with two titles at the Technovation Africa Awards 2024
15 hours -
Aowin Traditional Council declares war on illegal mining with spiritual intervention
15 hours