Ondo State Police Command has arrested a pastor, Sanmori Olubumi Joshua, and his wife, Sanmori Taiwo, over an alleged self-kidnapping scheme designed to extort money from relatives.
Gatekeepers News reports that according to the police, Taiwo secluded herself in a room at their residence on August 23 while her husband reached out to family members, claiming she had been abducted by unknown gunmen demanding ₦10 million ransom.
Suspicious relatives alerted authorities, leading Commissioner of Police, Adebowale Lawal, to deploy Special Anti-Kidnapping Squad (SAKS), supported by operatives from Enu-owa division, to investigate.
The team later discovered Taiwo at home, where she initially insisted she had been released after a ₦5 million ransom was paid.
However, further interrogation revealed that the supposed abduction was staged, to obtain money from relatives abroad under the guise of ransom payment.
Taiwo confessed that the plan was motivated by financial challenges, including debts and personal needs.
Both Taiwo and her husband are in custody as investigations continue, with the police vowing that legal action will be taken.
The command commended residents for their cooperation and reaffirmed its commitment to fighting all forms of crime in the state.
