Men of the Delta state police command have arrested a young man, Nelson Eserada, for allegedly staging his own kidnap and demanding N50 million ransom from his father.
Confirming the arrest to newsmen, the spokesperson of the command, SP Bright Edafe, said the father of the suspect had visited the police in Abraka division to report the abduction of his son.
Edafe said the distraught father told the police that the kidnappers were demanding a ransom of Fifty million naira (#50,000,000) in bitcoin. He also mentioned that his son’s abductors sent a video showing Nelson tied up and being tortured.
‘’The DPO Abraka SP Fabian Ayameh swiftly moved into action, embarked on a technical intelligence-led investigation and on 10/06/2024 at about 2000hrs, one Jerry Lawrence ‘M’ of Jeddo Community Warri was arrested in connection with the crime. Preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect conspired with the said Nelson Eserada a 400 Level Student of Banking & Finance Department of the Delta State University Abraka and that the father 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 the suspects are in custody and investigation is ongoing.
He added that the state Commissioner of Police, CP Olufemi Abaniwonda, urges parents to train and take care of their children., he noted that children when not raised properly may grow up and become problems to their parents. He also urged youths to stay away from the get-rich-quick syndrome, noting that crime does not pay.
