Female student kidnaps self, demands N10m ransom to support boyfriend business

 

By Okechukwu Onuegbu 

A 28-year-old female student of Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), Miss Chinecherem Okonkwo has been arrested together with her 30-year-old boyfriend, Mr Chinecherem Aronu for allegedly engaging in a self-orchestrated kidnap incident intentionally to extort the sum of 10,000,000 from the victim's parents.

According to a statement from the State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr Tochukwu Ikenga, the suspects were arrested at a school lodge in Awka following an intelligence-led investigation of a disturbing report of alleged abduction of one Chinecherem Nwaokoye.

He said, "Chinecherem had earlier contacted her family on Tuesday, 8th July 2025, informing them that she was returning home from school but never arrived. Her phone remained switched off throughout that day. On Wednesday, 9th July 2025, her family received a call from an unknown male voice who claimed responsibility for her kidnap and demanded a ransom of ₦10,000,000.

" After negotiations, the ransom was reduced to ₦3,000,000, and a part payment of ₦1,000,000 was later paid into the victim’s bank account. Following intelligence investigation, the police stormed a lodge located at UNIZIK Temp Site, Awka, where the victim was found alive and in the company of her male accomplice. Upon interrogation, the duo confessed to staging the kidnap as a plot to extract money from the victim’s family. 

"The female suspect admitted she masterminded the plan after watching a movie and intended to give the money to her boyfriend to start a business. The Commissioner of Police, CP Ikioye Orutugu has directed that the suspects be charged to court without delay and condemned the incident as a clear sign of deepening moral decay among some youths in the society. He warned that the Command will not tolerate such criminal deception and called on parents and guardians to pay closer attention to the activities and peer influence on their children."