This archive report was first published on 20 August 2019.
On August 20, 2019, a 15-year-old boy's elaborate plan to extort money from his father backfired in Jos, Nigeria.
The teenager, who was accompanied by four accomplices aged 15 to 22, had staged his own kidnap and demanded a 500,000-naira (approximately Shs 140, 000) ransom from his distressed father.
According to the Plateau State police chief, Terna Tyopev, the alleged kidnappers called the father, claiming that the boy had been taken outside the state and would be killed if the police were involved.
However, the father, who had sold his car just days before to raise money for school fees and household bills, alerted the police instead.
Police tracked the alleged kidnappers to a house in Jos using the telephone number they had used to contact the father.
"It was staged perfectly," Tyopev said, adding that the police are detaining the suspects to investigate their motives and determine if they have been involved in other kidnappings in the area.
