Lagos Couple Arrested for Staging Own Kidnapping to Extort N10 Million Ransom

A Lagos-based couple has been taken into police custody for allegedly orchestrating their own abduction in an elaborate scheme to extort a substantial ransom from their families and friends. The suspects, identified as Fred and Goodness, are accused of faking the kidnapping earlier this month to fund the husband’s planned return to the United States.

According to police sources, the couple set the plan in motion on January 7, contacting relatives from both sides of their family with claims that they had been kidnapped. A ransom demand was issued, prompting frantic efforts from their loved ones, who managed to raise the staggering sum of N10 million within just three days, believing the funds were critical to securing the couple’s safe release.

Investigators revealed that the scheme was motivated by financial desperation. “The husband wanted to travel back to the US, and he needed some money, but their sponsors were not forthcoming,” a police source explained. “So they planned it together, thinking that by staging a kidnapping, they would be able to raise the necessary funds.”

The operation unraveled due to vigilant police work. The couple had arranged for the ransom to be delivered at a location near a school in the Cappa area of Mushin, Lagos. Surveillance officers monitoring the drop-off point observed the woman, Goodness, entering the premises alone. Shortly afterward, her husband, Fred, arrived separately. Authorities became suspicious when the pair later exited the location together, carrying a bag.

The officers intervened, stopped the couple, and searched the bag, discovering the entire N10 million in cash. This led to their immediate arrest. During preliminary questioning, the wife reportedly confessed to encouraging her husband to devise the kidnapping plot.

Following their arrest, the suspects were handed over to the police for a full investigation, which confirmed the incident was a staged “self-kidnap.” The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Addebisi, has confirmed the incident. “The couple will be charged to court upon the conclusion of investigations,” she stated.

This case adds to a concerning trend of self-orchestrated abductions being uncovered by law enforcement in Nigeria. In a similar incident reported in December 2025, a 26-year-old woman, Misturah, was arrested for allegedly faking her own kidnapping to extort N2.5 million from her husband.