By CHRISTIAN OGBONNA

The Police Command in Ebonyi has arrested two suspects for allegedly staging a kidnapping and demanding a ransom of N30 million from the father of one of them.

The suspects are Fortune Onuoha and his friend, Godspower Nkwo, popularly known as Hulk.

The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Joshua Ukandu, disclosed this in a statement issued to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Abakaliki.

Ukandu said the incident was reported on Oct. 31, 2026, at about 10:30 p.m., when Onuoha’s father contacted the Command’s Control Room to report that his son had been abducted from his hostel in Ikwo Local Government Area of the state.

He said the complainant also reported receiving view-once videos and voice notes showing his son tied up, alongside demands for N30 million ransom by the purported kidnappers.

According to him, the abductors threatened to kill the victim if the ransom was not paid.

The PPRO said that following the report, the command deployed operatives to conduct an intelligence-driven investigation to establish the circumstances surrounding the alleged abduction and identify those responsible.

He said sustained surveillance and discreet investigative efforts led to a breakthrough on Nov. 5, when police operatives arrested the two suspects as they emerged from the room where they had been hiding.

Ukandu quoted the Commissioner of Police in the state, Mrs Urunwa Okafor, as warning members of the public against staging kidnappings or making false claims of abduction.

According to the PPRO, the Commissioner said such acts inflicted severe emotional trauma on parents, guardians and loved ones, while diverting valuable police resources from addressing genuine security threats.

She stressed that staging kidnappings and making false abduction claims were criminal offences punishable under the law.

The police commissioner urged members of the public to shun criminal activities and embrace lawful means of addressing their challenges. (NAN)