Police officers in the Federal Capital Territory have arrested two sisters and a couple for planning a fake kidnapping in Abuja, the nation's capital, in an attempt to collect five million naira from the girls' parents.
This was made known in a statement released on Tuesday, 5 August 2025, by the spokesperson of the FCT Police Command, Josephine Adeh.
According to the statement, the sisters, Miss LeadWay Innocent and Miss Joy Innocent, worked together with Joy’s boyfriend, Mr. Mayowa Adedeji, and his wife, Mrs. Tina Mayowa, to carry out the plan.
The incident came to light when Mr. Innocent, the father of the girls, reported to the Jikwoyi Police Division on 30 July 2025. He told the police that his 16-year-old daughter, LeadWay, left home on 18 July 2025 to write an examination at Government Secondary School, Karu, Abuja, but did not return. He later received a phone call from an unknown person demanding ransom for her release.
Following the report, the Divisional Police Officer at Jikwoyi Division began a thorough investigation. With the help of intelligence and phone tracking technology, the police traced the phone number used to demand the ransom to a house in Jikwoyi Phase II.
Police officers went to the location and found LeadWay Innocent sitting comfortably with Mrs. Tina Mayowa. The two were seen eating and chatting without any sign of fear or distress.
Further investigation led to the arrest of Joy Innocent and her boyfriend, Mr. Mayowa Adedeji. It was discovered that Joy and Mayowa, who is legally married to Tina, planned the fake kidnap to extort five million naira from their father.
Surprisingly, the police also revealed that LeadWay was not a victim but took part in the plan. She willingly stayed with the suspects throughout the time she was supposedly missing, while her elder sister Joy acted as though she knew nothing, watching her parents panic and suffer as they tried to raise the ransom money.
“All four suspects are now in police custody and have confessed to the crime,” the statement read. “They will face charges in court once the investigation is completed.”
The Commissioner of Police in the FCT, Ajao Saka Adewale, described the act as a shameful betrayal, especially because it happened within a family. He called on parents and guardians to pay closer attention to their children’s emotional health and behaviours and to encourage open and honest conversations at home.
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