The Niger state police command has arrested an 18-year-old student of the College of Health, Kwamba, Suleja, for allegedly staging his own kidnapping and demanding a N50 million ransom from his mother.
The suspect, identified as Moses Amarks, reportedly conspired with friends to carry out the fake abduction in an attempt to extort money from his parents.
Police spokesperson, SP Wasiu Abiodun, in a statement, said the incident was reported to the Maje Division on August 4, 2025, after the victim’s mother received a hidden-call threat claiming her son had been kidnapped.
“On August 4, 2025, a report was received at the Maje Division that a hidden call was made to a female victim, claiming her son, Moses Amarks, had been kidnapped and demanding a N50 million ransom,” Abiodun said.
According to him, operatives tracked the suspect to the Zuba motor park in Abuja, where he was apprehended. During interrogation, Amarks allegedly confessed to teaming up with a friend, 22-year-old Emmanuel Moses, a former student of the same school, to execute the plot.
Abiodun explained that Emmanuel contacted his brother, identified as Jetro, in Kaduna State, who provided a hideout in Karji village, Sabon-Tasha.
The duo reportedly stayed there for six days before Amarks decided to resurface when the ransom was not paid.
Police said an investigation is ongoing, and efforts are underway to arrest Jetro.
