A 27-year-old Nigerian woman, Ruth Livinus, has been arrested for faking her own kidnap to extort money from her widowed mother.
The motive behind the scam was to fund her dream of opening a hairdressing salon.
Ruth, who is a secondary school drop-out, allegedly hatched the plan with her live-in-lover, Isaac Gabriel, who was also arrested.
The couple was paraded alongside 21 other suspects at the Zone 2 Police Command in Lagos.
According to the police, Ruth’s mother received a call claiming that her daughter had been kidnapped and was demanding a five million naira ransom.
A photo of Ruth in a bush path, with her hands and legs tied, was sent to her mother to create fear and pressure her into paying the ransom.
However, the family managed to pay only N60,000 before they were tracked down to their hideout in Ikorodu.
In an emotional interview, Ruth expressed regret over her actions, saying that she wanted to use the money to open a hairdressing shop.
She claimed that Gabriel sold the idea to her and that she was caught because her stepsister tracked the phone number used to contact her mother.
Gabriel denied being the one who came up with the idea, saying that Ruth had suggested faking her own kidnap to get money from her mother. He claimed that he only supported the idea.
The police have charged both Ruth and Gabriel with conspiracy and attempted kidnapping.
The incident highlights the dangers of trying to manipulate and deceive others for personal gain.
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