A 45-year-old woman, Hadijat Muraino, has been arrested by police in Lagos State for allegedly conniving with her lover, Lukmon Ahmed, to fake her own kidnap and demand for N15 million ransom from her husband, Alhaji Kabiru Muraino.
This was revealed on Monday by the Commissioner, Lagos State Police Command, Edgal Imohimi.
Imohim said the woman; Ahmed; the lover’s younger brother, Ahmed Kudos; and another woman, Hadijat Rufai, were arrested after a discreet investigation by police operatives based on the alarm raised by the husband.
The woman, who had told her husband she was taking their daughter, Hamidat Remi, to a psychiatric hospital in Oshodi area of Lagos State, was picked up in one hotel room in Ado-Odo Ota area of Ogun State by police detectives.
It was from the hotel the group called Alhaji Muraino for N15 million ransom.
Hadijat Muraino, who spoke with newsmen at the Lagos State Police Command Headquarters in Ikeja, said she went into the deal because her husband has failed to take care of her and her child.
She said: “Nobody kidnapped me.
“I purposely went to hide in a friend’s house in order to collect money from my husband.
“I told him to give N500,000, he refused to give it to me.
“I didn’t intend to lie.
“It was frustration that led me into it.
“I didn’t demand N15 million from him.
“What I only asked my husband was just N500,000.
“My aged parents need money.
“I couldn’t give them money.
“All my husband is doing is flirting around with women and he abandoned me and my children.
“I am the only one taking care of my sick daughter and her siblings.
“My husband doesn’t care about us.
“He also had houses across the State without minding how we are feeding.
“We started together 27 years ago.
“Unfortunately when he became rich, he left me and married another wife.
“Anytime, I ask my husband for money, he would shout at me and warned me never to come to him again.
“I expected him to talk to me gently if he doesn’t have money, but he would be shouting on me and I thought that if I hide somewhere, I would make money from him, but unfortunately I was arrested.”
Kudos, who confirmed the development to reporters, said his brother had been dating the woman for a long time.
He said: “It was two weeks ago I saw the woman, her daughter and two other persons with my brother at Ado-Odo, but I don’t know what they came to do that fateful day.
“The following day after I saw them, my brother called me on phone to come and meet him somewhere.
“When I got to where he asked me to meet him, I asked him why he is not going to his house.
“When I was talking to my brother, the woman interrupted and said she was taking her daughter to a herbalist place in Otta, but I advised her to take her to a medical hospital, but the woman replied me that it was not hospital issue.
“On Saturday when I went to check the woman at the hotel where they lodged, I met my brother talking to the woman’s husband on phone to demand N15 million.
“It was in the process I collected the phone from my brother and advised the husband to pay them the money so as to secure the release of his wife and daughter.
“It was on Sunday I was preparing to go to the mosque to pray when policemen arrested me and brought me to Ikeja for questioning.”
Imohimi said Alhaji Muraino of Governor’s Road, Ikotun, Lagos State reported at Ikotun Police Station that his wife and daughter, who is of unsound mind, were kidnapped on their way to a psychiatric hospital.
He said the following day he received a phone call from someone who demanded N15 million before they would release them.
Based on this, Imohimi directed the anti-kidnapping squad to ensure their rescue and arrest the suspects.
He said: “Investigation revealed that the kidnappers were making their demands from a community in Ado-Odo Otta Local Government Area of Ogun State.
“The operatives quickly mobilized to the area and busted the camp of the kidnappers.
“The hostages were rescued and two other persons were arrested, while other gang members escaped.
“But the woman confessed that she planned her kidnapped with the suspects arrested to defraud her husband.”
