Shepherd, fake wife kidnapping to extort N10m from relatives abroad

A 42-year-old shepherd and his wife, Sanmori Taiwo, were arrested for presumably falsified self-kidnapping to extort money from the relatives of the woman abroad.

The shepherd and his wife were arrested by the agents of the State Police Command.

The spokesman for the command, DSP Olushola Ayanlade, who revealed it in a declaration on Wednesday 27 August 2025, said that the accident occurred between 16:00 and 17:00 in his residence in the city of Ondo on Saturday 23 August.

Ayanlade said that Taiwo deliberately isolated in a separate room in his residence after conspiring with his 62 -year -old husband, the shepherd Sanmori Joshua, to stage his kidnapping.

She said that her husband subsequently made calls to his wife’s relatives using her mobile number, falsely supporting that they had been kidnapped by unknown armed men who asked for the sum of N10 million as a redemption.

The police spokesman said: “Suspicion of the statements, one of the relatives, Mr. Phasegha O. Joseph, through a written petition, reported the question to the police commissioner, CP Adbowale Lawal, who directed the special anti-kidnapping team of the command (Saks).

“By acting quickly in the report, an investigative team of the anti-kidnapping team of the command, supported by the Enu-Owa division in the city of Ondo, proceeded to the residence of SanMori in the city of Ondo, where Mrs. Taiwo was found.

“He falsely said he was just released by the kidnappers after a redemption of N5 million has presumably paid.

“After a further interrogation to the command, Mrs. Taiwo confessed that the kidnapping was staged as a self -assumption scheme, designed to extort money from her relatives abroad with the claim to ensure her release.

“He also admitted that his reason was to resolve debts and provide for his personal needs.”

Ayanlade revealed that both Taiwo and her husband are currently under investigation, noting that they would follow adequate legal action.

“We will diligently reveal all forms of crime, are real or staged, in order to preserve peace, protect life and safeguard the integrity of the communities within the state,” he added.

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