The Nigeria Police Force has rescued a 38-year-old Ivorian national, Mr. Kacou Alleby, in Ogun State, only to discover that he staged his own abduction in a bid to extort money from his family in Côte d’Ivoire.
Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, disclosed this in a statement issued Thursday in Abuja. He said the rescue followed a request from INTERPOL’s National Central Bureau (NCB) in Abuja on behalf of Ivorian authorities, after Alleby was reported kidnapped and held hostage on September 12, 2025.
According to Hundeyin, the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, directed operatives of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) to immediately launch a coordinated operation. Acting on intelligence, the team arrested one Angela Arisa, 28, also an Ivorian, in the Matogun area of Ogun State. Her confession later led to the rescue of Alleby at a hideout in Olambe Estate, Ogun State.
Investigations, however, revealed that Alleby and Arisa conspired to stage the kidnap, producing torture videos and voice recordings to pressure his family into paying ransom. Police said efforts are ongoing to track down other accomplices who helped create the fake evidence.
The IGP condemned the act, stressing that self-kidnap is a grave crime under Nigerian law. He warned that all criminal elements will be brought to justice, noting that such schemes not only endanger public safety but also smear Nigeria’s international image.
LV