Kidnappers hike ransom after victim’s AI photo passes him off as a doctor

A kidnap victim who used artificial intelligence to dress himself as a doctor paid N4m ransom, the highest among 12 captives, a freed Benue State University graduate has revealed.

Ibi Phillip told The PUNCH that he was abducted with 11 other travellers at Ibillo, Edo State, on September 30, 2026, while heading to the NYSC orientation camp in Akure, Ondo State.

Phillip said: “One man paid N4m because he had used AI to dress himself like a doctor, so the kidnappers believed he was a doctor. He was the only one who paid that much. I was the next person, paying N2m.”

The victims, eight men and four women, were held for nine days, moved between six or seven locations, and tortured during ransom negotiations. The kidnappers initially demanded N15m. They were freed on October 8 after payment was made in Okene.

Phillip said the DSS and the Commissioner of Police told them they were unaware of the incident. He advised young people to be security-conscious when travelling.