In a heartbreaking case that has shocked a rural community, a 17-year-old girl has been accused of orchestrating a fake kidnapping with the help of her friends to extort ₦500,000 from her own mother, a hardworking farmer who relies on daily agricultural labour to provide for her family.
The incident, which occurred in a quiet village setting, highlights the devastating impact of such deceit on vulnerable families already grappling with economic hardship. According to preliminary reports from local sources, the teenager reportedly disappeared from home without warning, prompting her distressed mother to alert relatives and community members.Soon after, the mother began receiving threatening calls and messages claiming her daughter had been abducted by unknown kidnappers.
The callers demanded an immediate ransom payment of ₦500,000 for the girl’s safe release, warning that any delay or involvement of authorities would endanger her life.Fearing for her daughter’s safety, the mother—who supports the household through gruelling farm work in the fields—scraped together the money by borrowing from neighbours, selling personal belongings, and pooling what little savings she had. She reportedly paid the ransom through a specified method, believing it would secure her child’s freedom.
However, investigations by local police revealed the entire episode to be a carefully staged hoax. The girl had allegedly conspired with a group of friends to simulate the abduction, using the ruse to extract money from her mother under false pretenses. Evidence reportedly emerged linking the teenager and her accomplices to the threatening communications and the receipt of the funds.
Police sources say the girl has since been located and taken into custody, along with some of her alleged collaborators. The case is under active investigation, with authorities examining phone records, financial transactions, and witness statements to establish the full extent of the conspiracy.
The mother, described by community members as a dedicated and innocent woman who has sacrificed everything for her children’s well-being, was left devastated upon learning the truth. “She farms from morning till evening just to feed us, and this is what she gets,” a relative told reporters, speaking on condition of anonymity. “It’s painful beyond words.”This incident adds to a troubling pattern of staged kidnappings reported across parts of Nigeria in recent years, where individuals—often young people—exploit widespread fears of real abductions to defraud family members.
