In a startling revelation, the Nigeria Police Force declared on Wednesday that a significant number of reported kidnapping cases in the country were fraudulent or orchestrated.
The disclosure was made by the Force Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, during the presentation ceremony of the gold medal to the winner of Ache and kickboxing at the 14th edition of the Biennial Police Games, known as “Oluyole 2024,” held at Ilaji Resorts Hotel in Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State.
Adejobi elaborated that the prevailing security challenges in Nigeria are not as dire as commonly perceived, attributing the exaggerated perception to the dissemination and recycling of misinformation on social media platforms.
“Most kidnapping incidents are fake or stage-managed,” stated Adejobi. “When individuals claim to have been kidnapped, not all such incidents are genuine. Many individuals fabricate kidnapping scenarios either to extort money from their relatives or to demand ransom from their families.”
The revelation sheds light on the prevalence of deception within reported kidnapping cases, urging a closer examination of the veracity of such claims before widespread dissemination.
