Why I faked my own kidnap, 24-year-old teacher confesses

After faking her own kidnap in Olude, Oke-Fomo area, Ilorin, Kwara State, last Saturday, 24-year-old lady teacher, Medinat Ibrahim, has revealed why she committed the act.

The teacher said she committed the crime to raise money to settle debt which accrued from the monthly contribution in her place of work.

Medinat, who was paraded alongside two other suspects – Amudalat Wahab (30) and Hammed Lekan (28) – by the Kwara State Police Command on Wednesday, said she decided to commit the offence as a result of frustration and stoppage of her salary by her employer following the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic.

Medinat, who said that she is from a polygamous home, revealed that she was maltreated by her stepmother who also caused friction between her and her father, adding that she decided to fake her own kidnap to get money to offset debts she incurred during COVID-19 lockdown.

She said her business had collapsed, adding that the private school, where she taught as a teacher, had stopped paying her salary since COVID-19 broke out.

She said, “I teach in a private school where I was paid N15,000. We organised monthly contribution which I collected and invested in a business, but when COVID-19 broke out, our salary was stopped, I could no longer continue with the contribution.

“Those who were in the group continued to mount pressure on me to pay up my own contribution and there is nowhere that I could get the money. So I decided to go and hide in my sister’s place and I told someone to call my father on phone that I was kidnapped and demanded a ransom of N250,000 which was paid to my friend’s account.

The state Commissioner of Police, Muhammed Bagega, said Medinat conspired with her elder sister, Amudalat Wahab, and one Hammed Lekan to arrange her kidnap.

The CP said a bank account, belonging to one Hammed Lekan, was used to cash the N250,000.

Text of the police commissioner’s speech read by the state Police Public Relations Ajayi Okasanmi, added, “In line with the Commissioner of Police stand, that it not going to be business as usual, criminal are warned to pack their loads and relocate from Kwara State as the command will stop at nothing to deal with any criminal arrested no matter how highly or lowly placed.