Two Women Arrested for Staging Fake Kidnapping in Benue

Mary Torkuma, a resident of Akpehe community in Makurdi, and Evergreen Samuel from Abia State were arrested by the Benue police command's Violence Crime Response Unit (VCRU) for allegedly staging a fake kidnapping. The incident began when Mary left her home on July 12, 2026, to visit a friend in the North Bank area of Makurdi.

On July 15, her mother, residing in Lagos State, received a ransom demand from an unknown caller claiming that Mary had been kidnapped. This prompted the VCRU to initiate an intelligence-driven investigation, leading them to a hotel in the Ankpa Quarters area of Makurdi, where both women were found.

Preliminary investigations indicated that they conspired to fake the kidnapping to fraudulently obtain money from Mary’s mother. The suspects are currently in police custody, and investigations are ongoing, with plans to charge them in court upon completion.