Coffin Seller Kidnaps Self And Demands N2 Million Ransom From Brothers

The police in Enugu State have arrested  coffin dealer, Samuel Ani after he allegedly “kidnapped himself” and demanded N2 million ransom from his brothers.

Samuel saw his own kidnap as the quickest way of getting financial assistance from his brothers, who he labeled “stingy fellows”.However, it has ended up badly for him.

It was gathered that he faked his kidnap and hid himself for six days at a bush behind his shop situated at Gariki axis of Awkunanaw also in Enugu South, from where he was making telephone calls to his two younger brothers in a very convincing tone that he had been abducted and that the sum of N2 million was required to get him out of the purported kidnappers den, else he would be killed.

The spokesman of the police in Enugu State, Ebere Amaraizu, DSP, who confirmed the incident disclosed that the case was reported to the State Police Command, which mobilized its anti- kidnapping unit.

According to him,

 “When Samuel intensified his call that the purported kidnappers were on the verge of killing him if his people cannot bring the money, which was later reduced to N1.2m, some amount of money was sent across to the account number provided by the purported kidnappers and a certain girl who went to cash the sum of initial N100, 000 sent into the account in one of the new generation banks located around Agbani road axis on 29/8/13, was tracked and picked by the operatives. 

“The girl was identified as one Oluchi Ogbu Faith from Akpugo in Nkanu West Local Government Area of the state and a fiancee to Samuel. 

“On closer interrogations, Oluchi revealed that the account belonged to her but that she was instructed by Samuel to supply the account number so that his brothers could pay the ransom via the account and that she was to cash it as soon as she received alert of the payment and bring it to him. 

“Her revelation led to the arrest of Samuel who disclosed that he was not kidnapped but that he kidnapped himself so that his wealthy younger brothers can pay money for ransom which he will use to sort out his business dealings”. 

“He also revealed that he is a father of five children but never revealed to Oluchi Faith Ogbu that he is married; instead he promised to marry her.

“Asked whether he used to make huge sells in coffin, he said he made low sells and that he needed to trick the brothers to get out money from them in order to address his immediate challenges which required huge amount of money”, Amaraizu added.