Operatives of the Lagos State Police Command have arrested a 45-year-old woman, Hadijat Kabiru, for allegedly faking her own kidnap to defraud her 55-year-old husband, Muraino Kabiru.
Also arrested were two suspected accomplices, Ahmed Kudus and Hadijat Rufai.
It was gathered that Muraino received a call from the suspected kidnappers on August 2, 2018, that his wife, Hadijat, and 18-year-old daughter, Hamidat, had been kidnapped on their way to a psychiatric hospital in the Oshodi area of Lagos State.
It was also learnt that the alleged kidnappers had demanded N15m for the release of the victims before Muraino reported the matter to police.
While briefing the press on Monday, the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Edgal Imohimi, said the Anti-Kidnapping Squad rescued the victims and arrested the suspects.
The CP said Hadijat confessed that she planned the kidnap to defraud her husband.
Imohimi said, “On Thursday, August 8, 2018, around 3.30pm, one Alhaji Muraino Kabiru of Governor’s Road, Ikotun, reported at the Ikotun Police Station that his wife, Hadijat Kabiru, and his daughter, Hamidat, 18, who is of unsound mind, were kidnapped on their way to a psychiatric hospital in Oshodi, Lagos.
“He said the kidnappers demanded N15m for the hostages. Based on this, I directed the Anti-Kidnapping Squad to rescue the hostages and arrest the suspects.
“Investigation revealed that the kidnappers were making their demands from the Ado-Odo Ota area of Ogun State. The operatives of the squad mobilised and the hostages were rescued.
“Ahmed Kudus, 29, and Hadijat Rufai, 39, were arrested, while the rest of the suspects fled the scene. One of the hostages, Hadijat, confessed that she planned her kidnap with the suspects to defraud her husband.”
The CP explained that Hadijat noted that a native doctor, Wasiu Rufai, and two others, Luqmon Ahmed, and one Jossy, were part of the gang.
Hadijat, an indigene of Oyo State, said she hid herself to defraud her husband because he did not give her money to take care of herself.
The victim-turned suspect also claimed that her husband refused to take care of their sick daughter, adding that he was only interested in acquiring property.
Hadijat said, “Whenever I asked him for money, he usually shouted at me. I told him to give me N500,000, but he did not give me and that was why I decided to hide myself. I did not ask for N15m.
“I have four children for him, but he has refused to do anything for me. He knows that my daughter is sick, yet he keeps building houses; he has about 12 houses in Lagos. I am his first wife and we have been together for about 27 years. We have a company together, but he did not do anything for me.
“All my family members have been calling me for money. My mother has been calling me for money, but I have no money to give her. What am I to do? So, I just hid myself in a place to collect money from him.”
Hadijat denied knowing the arrested accomplices.
Kudus, however, said he knew Hadijat as his brother’s lover.
The 29-year-old Ogun State indigene said, “I know her to be in a relationship with my brother, Ahmed Lukman, and they always come to our house at Ado-Odo.
“On Saturday, my brother called me to meet him at Church Hotel; he was with this woman. When I got there, I saw him talking to someone on the telephone and also saw this woman pretending as if she was crying. I later heard my brother saying, ‘we will talk later,’ before he cut the call.
“Later, I heard them talking to someone on the phone about N1m, and this woman told them that the money was too small and that they should make it N4m. I asked them what the money was meant for. When they told me, I collected the phone and asked the man to please give them the money and let peace reign.”
The second accomplice, Rufai, said she stopped the police from arresting her husband, adding that she was arrested after he escaped.
