A security guard, identified only as Sunday, has been arrested by the Federal Capital Territory Police for allegedly staging his own kidnapping to extort N4 million from his family to fund a Christmas trip to his village.

The suspect reportedly used a friend’s phone to call his relatives, claiming he had been abducted and that the friend was holding him hostage. He demanded N4 million as ransom. The friend, who was unaware of the plot, became alarmed when Sunday’s family contacted him to negotiate a lower ransom and pleaded for his safety.

FCT Police Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh, explained that the matter was reported to the Jabi Police Station after the friend realized he had been falsely implicated. “Sunday staged his own kidnapping using his colleague’s phone because he wanted money to travel to the East for the Christmas holidays,” Adeh said.

During interrogation, Sunday admitted the scheme, saying, “I used my friend’s phone to call my people and tell them that my friend had kidnapped me. I demanded N4 million because I wanted to travel to my village. I do not feel okay about what I did.”

This is not an isolated case. Last month, a 26-year-old woman reportedly staged her own abduction to extort N2.5 million from her husband.

Authorities have warned families and the public to be vigilant as such fake kidnapping schemes continue to emerge.