•Police arrest
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command have arrested two sisters, Leadway Innocent and Joy Innocent, for staging a fake abduction to extort N5m from their father.
Police also arrested two accomplices in Jikwoyi Phase II, Abuja.
According to a statement today by the FCT Police Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh, said the case began when Mr. Innocent, a resident of Jikwoyi Phase II, reported to the Jikwoyi Police Division that his 16-year-old daughter, Leadway Innocent, had gone missing.
Innocent explained that Leadway left home on Friday, July 18, 2025, to sit for an examination at Government Secondary School, Karu.
He later received a call from an unknown person demanding N5m for her release.
Adeh said; “Upon receipt of the report, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Jikwoyi Division immediately launched a discreet investigation.
“Through coordinated intelligence gathering and digital tracking, the phone number used to contact the complainant was traced to a residence in Jikwoyi Phase II.
“Operatives proceeded to the location, where they found Miss Lead Way Innocent in the company of one Mrs. Tina Mayowa, the wife of Mr. Mayowa Adedeji.
“Both individuals were seen eating and conversing freely, indicating no signs of distress”.
Investigators arrested Leadway’s elder sister, Joy Innocent, and her boyfriend, Mayowa Adedeji.
Adeh noted that findings revealed Joy conspired with her boyfriend, who is legally married to Mrs.Tina Mayowa, to stage the abduction of her younger sister in a calculated attempt to defraud their father of N5m.
Police discovered that Leadway willingly participated in the scheme.
Adeh said: “She willingly stayed with the suspects throughout her alleged abduction, while Joy remained at home and feigned ignorance, watching her parents’ anguish and emotional distress as they struggled to raise money for the supposed ransom”.
The FCT Commissioner of Police, CP Ajao Adewale, condemned the act, describing it as a “betrayal and manipulation, particularly one perpetrated within the family.”
Adewale urged parents to “pay close attention to their children’s emotional well-being and behavioral patterns, and to encourage regular, honest communication at home.”
The CP confirmed that all four suspects remain in police custody, have voluntarily confessed to the crime, and will face charges in court after the investigation concludes.
