Police Arrest 400-level DELSU Student who Conspired With Friend To Fake Own Kidnap To Scam Dad Of N5.2m

A 400-level student of the Delta State University, Abraka, Nelson Eserada, has been arrested for staging his own kidnapping and demanding a ransom of Fifty million naira (#50,000,000) in bitcoin from his father.

BIGPEN NIGERIA (https://bigpenngr.com) reports that the suspect, was picked up after his father had already paid Five Million and Two Hundred Thousand Naira ransom through a Bitcoin account belonging to the principal suspect, Jerry Lawrence.

Police spokesman in the state, SP Bright Edafe who confirmed this in Warri, said that the arrest was made possible through a technical intelligence-led investigation led by the DPO of Abraka Division, SP Fabian Ayameh.

According to him, the arrest followed a complaints received from the father of the said suspect that his son was kidnapped and that the kidnappers were demanding a ransom of Fifty million naira (#50,000,000) in bitcoin.

He said that the suspect also sent a video of the supposed victim tied and being tortured.

The DPO Abraka SP Fabian Ayameh swiftly moved into action, embarked on a technical intelligence-led investigation and on Monday June 10, 2024 at about 2000hrs, they arrested one Jerry Lawrence of Jeddo Community, near Warri in connection with the crime

Police investigators later discovered that the suspect conspired with the said Nelson Eserada a 400 Level Student of Banking & Finance Department of the Delta State University Abraka.

By then, “the father of the said Nelson had already paid the sum of Five Million and Two Hundred Thousand Naira ransom through a Bitcoin account belonging to the principal suspect Jerry Lawrence”.

Edafe said that the two suspects are in custody while investigation is ongoing

In a related development, the ‘B’ Division police in Asaba, the state capital, have arrested seven suspects in connection to house-to-house robbery in the metropolis.

The arrest followed a string of armed robbery incidents in Bonsaac, Okwe, and other areas of the metropolis.

Worried by the development, the Commissioner of Police, CP Abaniwonda Olufemi, had deployed a new DPO in ‘B’ division Asaba to apprehend those responsible.

Acting on a tip from a concerned resident, the DPO, CSP Edewor Akponegware, on Saturday June 8, led a team of officers to the Mango Tree Market, where they arrested seven suspects, including John Dalami, Musa Suleiman, Abdullahi Jibril, Solomon Uchechukwu, Yusuf Joda, Egboka Chukwu Charles, and Wisdom Syvester, he said.

The suspects, aged between 20 and 25, were found with a locally made cut-to-size gun and one live cartridge.

“They confessed to being involved in a series of house-to-house armed robbery operations in Issele-Asagba, Coka, and Ibusa”, the police spokesman said.

Edafe said that the case was later transferred to the special Anti-Kidnapping and Cybercrime squad for further investigation, leading to the arrest of six additional suspects and the recovery of three more locally made cut-to-size guns at their hideout in the back of DDPA estate, Asaba.

He, said that the police are continuing with the investigate while urging residents to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activities.