Benue Police arrest one over self-kidnap arrangement

From Gabriel Agbo, Abuja 
The Benue State Police Command has arrested two females for allegedly staging a fake kidnap in a bid to extort money from a family of the supposed victim.

The suspects, identified as Mary Torkuma,  and Miss Evergreen Samuel from Abia State were arrested by operatives of the State command following  reports received by  Violence Crime Response Unit (VCRU that Mary Torkuma was missing.

Confirming the arrest in a statement released on Wednesday, the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Orchia Peter Aondongu , said the suspects were apprehended after detectives uncovered the alleged plot.

According to the statement, on 15th July 2026, a report was received by the Command's Violence Crime Response Unit (VCRU), Makurdi, that one Miss Mary Torkuma of Akpehe, Makurdi, had left her apartment on 12th July 2026 to visit a friend at North Bank area of Makurdi. 

DSP Orchia explained that the following day, her mother, who resides in Lagos State, received a telephone call from an unknown number demanding ransom and claiming that her daughter had been kidnapped.

"Upon receipt of the report, operatives of the VCRU immediately commenced an intelligence-driven investigation which led the team to a hotel in the Ankpa Quarters area of Makurdi, where the supposed victim, Mary Torkuma, was found alongside her accomplice, Miss Evergreen Samuel, who had travelled from Abia State.

"Preliminary investigation revealed that the two suspects allegedly conspired to stage the kidnapping with the intention of extorting money from the victim's mother by falsely claiming that Mary had been abducted", he said.

The suspects are currently in police custody while investigation continues. They will be charged to court upon the conclusion of investigations.

The PPRO intimated that the Commissioner of Police, Benue State Command, CP Cletus C.N. Nwadiogbu, warned  members of the public against engaging in criminal acts, including the staging of false kidnapping incidents, stressing that such offences divert critical security resources from genuine emergencies and are punishable under the law.

"The Command further assures residents of its commitment to intelligence-led policing and encourages members of the public to promptly report suspicious activities to the nearest police formation or through the Command's emergency lines: 08066006475 and 07067374913", the statement concluded.