The Nigeria Police Force has arrested a woman identified as Catherine Davou and two other suspects over an alleged plot to stage the kidnapping of her two-year-old son and demand ransom from the family.
The child, identified as Rito Jesse Davou, was reportedly at the centre of the alleged scheme uncovered by operatives of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT).
According to the police, 34-year-old Nansik Wuyep Sule allegedly conspired with the child’s biological mother, Catherine Davou, to create the impression that the boy had been kidnapped.
The police said the alleged scheme initially involved a ransom demand of ₦7 million, but the amount was later increased to ₦15 million.
Another suspect, Luka Emmanuel Butdam, was also arrested for allegedly making ransom-related calls to the child’s grandmother.
Investigators subsequently traced the child to Sule’s residence, where he was found and safely rescued.
The boy was taken for medical attention before being handed over to his biological father, according to the police.
The suspects remain under investigation as authorities work to establish the full circumstances surrounding the alleged staged kidnapping and the roles played by each suspect.
