Two Nigerian Teenagers Stage Their Own Kidnapping for ₦200,000 Ransom

Two boys in Niger State, Nigeria have been arrested for faking an abduction in a bid to extort one of their fathers for a relatively modest sum.

According to the Niger State Police Command, 15-year-old Kelvin Faga left home for church on July 20, 2026, and never came back. The following day, his family received a phone call from an unknown number. The caller claimed Kelvin had been kidnapped and demanded ₦200,000 for his release.

What his family didn’t know was that Kelvin was not being held by criminals in a remote bush hideout. He was at a hotel in Suleja with his 17-year-old friend, Mayowa Ojewuyi. The two teenagers had cooked up the operation themselves, planning to collect the ransom and split it evenly.

Police at Suleja’s B Division opened an investigation after the family reported the missing boy and the ransom demand. Using available intelligence, detectives tracked the pair to the hotel where they were lodging. Both confessed that the “kidnapping” was entirely staged so they could extort Kelvin’s father.

According to the Nigerian Tribune, the suspects are currently in the custody of the State Criminal Investigation Department.

Police say they will be charged to court once investigations are concluded.

The relatively modest ransom has sparked online commentary ranging from disbelief to dark humour.

The sum involved is small by the standards of Nigeria’s kidnapping industry, where real kidnappers demand millions or tens of millions of naira. That modesty has drawn online commentary ranging from disbelief to dark humour.

Self-staged kidnappings are not new in Nigeria. Similar cases involving teenagers and young adults have surfaced in Lagos, Edo, and other states in recent years, often driven by a mix of financial pressure, peer influence, and a distorted sense that family money can be extracted through fear.

For Kelvin Faga and Mayowa Ojewuyi, what may have seemed like a clever shortcut has instead led to arrest, custody, and the prospect of formal charges.

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Oluwagbohunmi Bajela

Oluwagbohunmi is a content writer with a knack for storytelling that allows her simplify ideas and present them in a way that captures attention, builds understanding, and connects with readers.

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