Lagos Police Arrest Housewife, Accomplice for Faking Kidnapping, Extorting ₦2.5m From Her Husband

Lagos State Commissioner of Police, CP Olohundare Jimoh

The Lagos State Police Command has arrested a 26-year-old housewife, Mrs. Misturah Bada, and her accomplice, Adedamola Daniel, for allegedly staging her own kidnapping and extorting ₦2.5 million from her husband, who resides in South Africa.

A statement by the command’s spokesperson, SP Abimbola Adebisi said operatives of the Command Special Squad made the arrests following a distress call received on November 24, 2025, from the victim’s husband, who reported that his wife had been kidnapped by armed men demanding a ransom of ₦10 million, later reduced to ₦3 million. 

The statement revealed that despite paying ₦2.5 million, the supposed kidnappers allegedly refused to release her.

SP Adebisi said upon receiving the complaint, they deployed both technical and human assets to track the kidnappers. 

Mrs. Bada was later “released” and reunited with her family before being invited for debriefing. 

She claimed she had been abducted by six armed men driving a silver Toyota Venza, taken to their hideout and dispossessed of her iPhone 12 Pro Max. 

She also stated that the ransom paid was first transferred into her bank account before being handed over to the kidnappers.

However, further investigation revealed inconsistencies in her account. 

On December 3, 2025, police arrested Adedamola Daniel, aged 30, in Ede, Osun State. 

A SIM card used to register the WhatsApp account through which the ransom negotiations were conducted was recovered from him.

During interrogation, Daniel reportedly confessed that Mrs. Bada requested the use of his SIM card to open the WhatsApp account used to negotiate the ransom and that he supplied the one-time password (OTP) sent to his line, enabling her to operate the account.

Confronted with the findings, Mrs. Bada admitted to faking her kidnapping to extort money from her husband. 

Further investigation led to the recovery of the iPhone 12 Pro Max, which she had claimed was with the kidnappers. 

The phone was recovered from Yusuf Sodiq, 34, who told police he bought it from her for ₦380,000 after being warned not to insert a SIM card.

The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, CP Olohundare Jimoh, warned members of the public against false reporting and criminal deception, noting that such acts divert critical security resources. 

He reaffirmed the Command’s commitment to protecting lives and property.

The state police command said investigations are ongoing and the suspects will be charged to court upon conclusion of the investigation.