LAGOS – The Lagos State Police Command has arrested 26-year-old Misturah Bada and her accomplice, Adedamola Daniel, for allegedly staging a fake kidnapping to extort money from her husband who resides in South Africa.
The Command Special Squad moved in after the husband, Mr. Bada, reported that armed men had abducted his wife on November 24, 2025.
The “kidnappers” initially demanded a ransom of ₦10 million, which was later negotiated down to ₦3 million.
Despite Mr. Bada paying ₦2.5 million into his wife’s bank account, the supposed captors refused to release her, prompting a full-scale police investigation.
Upon her “release,” Misturah told detectives a harrowing story of being snatched by six armed men in a silver Toyota Venza and robbed of her iPhone 12 Pro Max.
However, police investigators noticed several inconsistencies in her statement.
The breakthrough came on December 3, 2025, when police tracked 30-year-old Adedamola Daniel to Ede, Osun State.
Daniel confessed that he provided the SIM card and WhatsApp OTP Misturah used to negotiate the ransom with her husband.
Confronted with the evidence, Misturah admitted the kidnapping was a hoax designed to fleece her husband.
Police also recovered her “stolen” iPhone 12 Pro Max from Yusuf Sodiq, who bought the device from her for ₦380,000.
Sodiq admitted he was warned by Misturah not to insert a SIM card into the phone.
Lagos State Commissioner of Police, CP Olohundare Jimoh, condemned the act, warning that faking crimes wastes essential security resources.
He urged Lagosians to remain law-abiding and report suspicious activities via the command’s emergency lines.
The suspects will be charged to court once investigations are complete.
