The Lagos State Police Command has arrested a 26-year-old housewife named Misturah Bada, and a 30-year-old man, Adedamola Daniel for allegedly staging the lady’s kidnap to extort N2.5 million from her husband who is based in South Africa.
The arrest followed investigations into a kidnapping report received by the Command on November 24, 2025.
Police spokesperson, SP Abimbola Adebisi, said the woman’s husband contacted the police through an emergency line, claiming that his wife had been abducted by armed men who initially demanded a ransom of N10 million but later reduced it to N3 million.
According to the police, despite paying N2.5 million, the supposed kidnappers refused to release the woman, prompting intensified investigations by the Command.
Adebisi explained that the police deployed both technical and human resources, after which Mrs. Bada was later released and reunited with her family. During questioning, she claimed she was abducted by six armed men in a silver Toyota Venza, taken to an unknown location and relieved of her iPhone 12 Pro Max.
She further told investigators that the ransom paid by her husband was first transferred into her bank account before being handed over to the kidnappers.
However, police said inconsistencies in her account raised suspicion. On December 3, 2025, operatives arrested Adedamola Daniel in Ede, Osun State. A SIM card linked to the WhatsApp account used for ransom negotiations was recovered from him.
Investigators said Daniel confessed that Mrs. Bada asked him to provide a SIM card to open the WhatsApp account used to communicate with the husband and that he shared the one-time password sent to his line, allowing her to control the account.
“After being confronted with the findings, Mrs. Bada admitted that she faked her own kidnapping in order to extort money from her husband,” the police said.
Further investigations led to the recovery of the iPhone 12 Pro Max earlier reported as stolen. The phone was recovered from one Yusuf Sodiq, 34, who told police that he bought it from Mrs. Bada for N380,000 and was warned not to insert any SIM card into it.
Commenting on the incident, the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, CP Olohundare Jimoh, cautioned members of the public against false reports and criminal deception, noting that such acts divert security resources from genuine emergencies.
The police said investigations are ongoing and that the suspects will be charged to court once it is concluded.
