The Lagos State Police Command says it has uncovered what appears to be a staged kidnapping involving a 20-year-old student, Collins Ikwebe, and five of his schoolmates.
The case came to light on Saturday after a distressing social media post by a friend of one of the suspects went viral.
According to the post, the friend, identified only as 888 @FlackoT on X, claimed, “Guys, I’m locked up in Ikeja Police Station. I don’t have enough time and I don’t know what to do. So, this is my only alternative. So, y’all know what happened to me.
“Someone faked his kidnapping and requested for ransom from his dad. his dad reported the case to SARS. They tracked his phone. I genuinely knew nothing about it until I reached the station.”
The X user further expressed concern about potentially facing a lengthy legal process, stating, “His dad came to the station and requested his release but they insisted on taking the case to court which could take up to three years to resolve. Other people that were in the apartment with him are locked up as well.”
“Following a report from his family, our investigation established that 20-year-old Collins Oluchukwu Ikwebe faked his own kidnap,” Hundeyin confirmed.
The police spokesperson revealed a complex scheme involving multiple ransom demands. “His dad received several calls from Collins’ number but with different voices giving instructions on what amount of money to be paid and methods of payment,” Hundeyin explained.
He added that over two weeks, various sums were demanded, ranging from $500,000 to as low as N30,000.
“At different times spanning two weeks, different sums – $500,000; $200,000; N2,000,000; N50,000 and N30,000 – were requested from Collins’ dad,” he wrote.
The breakthrough in the case came on Thursday, June 20, 2024, when “detectives of the Lagos State Police Command eventually busted a short-let four bedroom apartment in Lekki where Collins and five of his school mates (one male, four females) had been staying for the past 10 days,” Hundeyin stated.
While the investigation is ongoing, the police said they are working to determine the level of involvement of the other five individuals found in the apartment.
Hundeyin emphasised, “For now, none of the suspects has been exonerated.”

Worried by the delapidated state of the infrastructure at the Community Primary School, Ikem in Etche local Government Area of Riversstate ,the community has appealed to the state government and state universal Basic Education Board (RSUBEB)to urgently come to their rescue and save the only school from total collapse.
The traditional ruler of the community, Chief Precious Amadi made the appeal while speaking to journalists after the Community Development Committee meeting held over the weekend in the community .
Amadi, who is also the Oko 1 of the community, took journalists around the entire school building and lamented that despite every efforts made by the community to draw the attentions of the various government agencies concerned nothing has been done to change the ugly situation, stressing that the school has been abandoned in its present condition.
He noted that the educational future of the pupils in the community is uncertain if no effort is made to repair the decayed infrastructures and provide desks and other basic ammunities required for a functional school.
According to him,the pupils have been having their basic and primary education studies under an informal arrangements through a private personal arrangement as a temporary intervention put in place by an indigene of the community outside the school building , adding that the place where they are staying to learn was not conducive .
The traditional ruler used the opportunity to call on the state government and the local government administration to come to their aid and rescue the school from imminent collapse.
Amadi also appealed to the State Universal Basic Education Board (RSUBEB)to post more teachers to the school and regretted that the school has only but one teacher and a headmaster who hardly come to the school.

Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HCSF), Dr. Folasade Yemi-Esan, has urged holders of Higher National Diploma(HND) to undergo one year mandatory training before their conversion from Executive to Officers cadre.
Yemi-Esan who stated this at a virtual interactive session with civil servants in commemoration of the 2024 Civil Service Week with the theme:”Educate an African Fit for the 21st Century: Building Resilient Education Systems for Increased Access to Inclusive, Life-long, Quality and Relevant Learning in Africa.”
While fielding question from one of the civil servants, Yemi-Esan, explained that the curriculum for HND and B.Sc holders are not the same, hence, HND graduates would have to undergo mandatory one year training before conversion from Executive to Officers’ cardre.
Mr. Adebayo Bamidele Hassan on Grade Level 14 had earlier asked on the dichotomy between B.Sc and HND holders in the Service and what the Federal Government was doing to bridge the gap.
Commenting on the theme of the 2024 Civil Service Week, Yemi-Esan underscored the need for education to be accessible, inclusive and of high quality, while highlighting the need for it to constantly remain relevant to the rapidly evolving demands of the modern world.
According to her,”The theme also speaks to how the Nigerian Civil Service is leveraging learning and development to enhance the capacity and capability of its workforce with a view to delivering on national priorities.”
Yemi-Esan further stated that the first priority area/pillar of the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan (FCSSIP 25), is Capacity Building and Talent Management, which is in line with the theme selected by the African Union for this year’s celebration.