News
Police arrest Housewife for faking her kidnap, extorting N2.5m from Husband
The Lagos State Police Command has arrested a 26-year-old housewife, Mrs. Misturah Bada, for allegedly faking her own kidnapping and extorting N2.5m from her husband who resides in South Africa.
Also arrested in connection with the incident is her accomplice, Adedamola Daniel, 30, who allegedly aided the scheme by providing a SIM card used to negotiate the ransom.
Police said the case was reported on November 24, 2025, at about 10:00 p.m., when the husband raised an alarm through one of the Command’s emergency lines, claiming that his wife had been abducted by armed men who initially demanded a ransom of N10m, later reduced to N3m.
According to a statement on Saturday by the Command’s spokesperson Abimbola Adebisi, the husband paid N2.5m in a bid to secure his wife’s release, but the supposed kidnappers failed to free her, prompting the deployment of human and technical assets of the Command’s Special Squad to track the alleged criminals.
Mrs. Bada was later “rescued” and reunited with her family before being invited for debriefing.
During interrogation, she claimed that six armed men in a silver Toyota Venza abducted her, took her to their hideout and dispossessed her of an iPhone 12 Pro Max. She also stated that the ransom was first paid into her bank account before being handed over to the kidnappers.
“On 24 November 2025 at about 2200 hours, the Command received a distress call from the husband, through one of the emergency numbers, reporting that his wife, Mrs. Misturah Bada, had allegedly been kidnapped by armed men who demanded a ransom of N10m , later reduced to N3m. A sum of N2.5m was subsequently paid by the husband, Mr. Bada, an innocent Nigerian resident in South Africa, yet the supposed kidnappers refused to release the victim,” the statement read.
“Upon receipt of the complaint, human and technical assets of the Command Special Squad were immediately deployed to track the alleged kidnappers. The alleged victim, Mrs. Misturah Bada, was released and reunited with her family. After which she was invited and debriefed, during which she claimed that she was kidnapped by six armed men driving a silver Toyota Venza, taken to their stronghold, and dispossessed of her iPhone 12 Pro Max.”
However, further investigation revealed inconsistencies in her account. On December 3, 2025, operatives arrested Adedamola Daniel in Ede, Osun State, and recovered a SIM card used to register the WhatsApp account through which the ransom negotiations were conducted.
Daniel reportedly confessed that Mrs. Bada requested his SIM card to open the WhatsApp account and that he provided the one-time password sent to his line, enabling her to operate the account.
When confronted with the findings, Mrs. Bada admitted to faking her kidnapping in order to extort money from her husband, police said.
Further investigation led to the recovery of the iPhone 12 Pro Max from one Yusuf Sodiq, 34, who allegedly told investigators that he bought the phone from Mrs. Bada for N380,000 and was warned not to insert any SIM card into it.
The Commissioner of Police, Olohundare Jimoh, condemned the act and warned the public against false reporting and criminal deception capable of diverting vital security resources.
The Command reiterated its commitment to protecting lives and property and urged residents to promptly report suspicious activities to the police.
Police said investigations are ongoing, and the suspects will be charged to court upon conclusion of the investigation.
Recall that a 15-year-old boy and four of his friends were recently arrested in Lagos for allegedly staging a fake kidnapping and extorting a ransom of N1.7m from the boy’s mother.
The suspects were arrested by operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Tactical Squad of the Lagos State Police Command on December 17 and 18, following investigations into a viral video showing a schoolboy pleading for mercy in what appeared to be a kidnappers’ den.
Police said the incident was initially reported on November 26, 2025, at the Ago Palace Police Division as a case of a missing person. However, preliminary investigations later revealed that the alleged kidnapping was deliberately orchestrated by the supposed victim, Victor Aligwo, aged 15, in collaboration with four of his friends.
President Bola Tinubu has restated that his government is committed to addressing the country’s main problems, including economic difficulties, power shortages and safety issues.
Speaking in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, Tinubu stated that his government is still focused on policies aimed at helping the poorest and most at-risk Nigerians.
He said: “We won’t stop moving forward, and we’ll keep looking for ways to help those who are struggling.
“This is a government that really cares.”
He noted that having steady power supply is very important for development, stressing that industrial growth and learning new skills mostly rely on having dependable electricity.
“You can’t have industrial growth, learning new skills, or people gaining strength without having enough power.
“I promise Nigerians that we will provide electricity to support our country’s development,” he said.
The president also thanked Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, for the way he leads the state.
“Diri has shown the strength of leading with a clear purpose, and I am here today making a promise that the challenges we face, along with the legacy of those who led this country, including the battles and difficulties of ensuring security, will be met with hard work to properly equip and train our men and women in the Armed Forces. We will defeat terrorism and banditry.”
The Catholic Bishop of Abakaliki Diocese, Dr Peter Chukwu is dead.
A source said the Bishop died where he was receiving treatment for an undisclosed ailment.
Meanwhile, a social media influencer, Nwoba Chika Nwoba, in a post on his Facebook page, mourned the demise of the Bishop.
He wrote, “A very bad one for us in Ebonyi State. The loss of the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Abakaliki, Dr Peter Chukwu is a terrible loss.
“This loss is huge. God knows why, but it’s painful losing him in his 50s. A refined man and Associate Professor. This loss is beyond Ezza’s loss. It’s well. We can’t take war to God’s place. Kidney transplant issue. NCN.”
The authorities of the Catholic Church is expected to issue an official statement announcing the demise of the Bishop.
The Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday sentenced former senatorial candidate in Borno State, Babagana Habeeb, to 10 years’ imprisonment for aiding terrorism through the sale of petroleum products to insurgents.
The trial judge, Peter Lifu, convicted Habeeb on a one-count charge of aiding and abetting terrorism filed by the Federal Government.
Habeeb, a fuel dealer based in Maiduguri, had pleaded guilty to the charge upon arraignment, admitting that he sold fuel to members of the Boko Haram operating in the North-East.
The convict, however, claimed that the transactions might have been carried out by attendants at his filling station.
During the proceedings, Habeeb appealed for leniency, kneeling in the dock as he urged the court to temper justice with mercy.
He told the court that he had two wives and six children and had been in detention for over 10 years without contact with his family.
Counsel to the Federal Government, David Kaswe, opposed the plea, arguing that the support provided to the terrorist group had serious consequences.
Kaswe submitted that the supply of fuel enabled the insurgents to power motorcycles used in attacks, leading to loss of lives and displacement of communities.
He urged the court to impose a stiffer penalty, noting that although the defendant had spent over a decade in custody, a 20-year sentence would be appropriate.
In his judgment, Justice Lifu held that there was no evidence establishing that the defendant was a member of Boko Haram or had undergone weapons training.
He, however, ruled that the admission of selling fuel to the insurgents was sufficient to sustain the charge of aiding terrorism.
The judge also noted that the prosecution did not challenge the defendant’s claim of prolonged detention.
Justice Lifu consequently sentenced Habeeb to 10 years’ imprisonment.
He ordered that the sentence should take effect from the date of the convict’s arrest and detention.
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