A Lagos couple, identified simply as Fred and Goodness, has been arrested for allegedly staging their own kidnap and collecting N10m in ransom from relatives and friends.

According to police sources, the pair allegedly conspired to fake their abduction as a way to raise money for Fred, who was said to be desperate to return to the United States but lacked financial support. Investigators said the couple reached out to relatives on both sides, claiming they had been seized by kidnappers who were demanding a hefty ransom for their release.

Believing the couple to be in genuine danger, family members and close associates reportedly scrambled to raise the funds. Within three days, they were able to gather N10m, which was then arranged to be delivered to a designated drop-off point in the Mushin area of Lagos.

A police source said operatives had been quietly monitoring the agreed location, a school in the Cappa area, after receiving intelligence about the suspicious circumstances surrounding the supposed abduction. Officers observed Goodness entering the premises alone, while Fred arrived separately a short while later.

“They went in at different times, but later came out together carrying a bag,” the source said. “That raised suspicion. The operatives intercepted them, searched the bag and found the ransom money inside.”

The couple was immediately arrested and taken into custody. During interrogation, investigators said Goodness admitted she had encouraged her husband to go ahead with the plan, believing it was the only way to raise the funds he needed for his travel.

Police later concluded that no third-party kidnappers were involved and that the incident was a clear case of self-kidnap designed to defraud their own families and social circle.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Addebisi, confirmed the arrest and said the case file had been opened for prosecution. She noted that the couple would be charged to court upon the conclusion of investigations.

The incident adds to a growing pattern of self-orchestrated abductions in Nigeria, where individuals fake their own kidnaps to obtain money from relatives, employers or partners, further complicating the fight against genuine kidnapping and stretching already burdened security resources.