Police catch man for trying to kidnap his 16-year-old girlfriend for N50 million

The police in Delta State have arrested a 23-year-old man, Terry Ogbonna. He is accused of plotting with his friends to kidnap his 16-year-old girlfriend and demand a N50 million ransom from her mother.

Bright Edafe, a police spokesperson in the state, shared details of the incident in a video on X on Saturday.

Mr Edafe said the situation caused fear among residents in the estate where the girl’s parents live. People rushed around, trying to rescue her.

But police investigations showed that the girl’s boyfriend was part of the plan. The girl said she did not know her boyfriend wanted to kidnap her. Mr Ogbonna told the police they first agreed to the plan but later changed their minds. He claimed his friends went ahead with the plan after seeing the girl.

In her statement to the police, the girl identified Mr Ogbonna as her boyfriend. "He’s my boyfriend," she said. She explained that he came to the estate and took her to his house.

The girl said her boyfriend had earlier suggested faking her kidnapping to get money from her mother. "He brought it up, and I said no," she added.

She later found out her mother received a ransom demand after one of her boyfriend’s friends took her phone. She checked her chats and saw a message asking for N50,000 for her feeding.

"After sometime, he came back, and I showed him the text message and asked, ‘What is the meaning of this?’" she said.

When the police asked when the kidnappers demanded N50 million, the girl said she was taken to a riverside and threatened. "They carried me to the riverside. I was close to the river, and my legs were touching water. They threatened to throw me into the river if my mother does not pay N50 million," she said.

Mr Edafe said the suspects tried to make another resident of the estate, called Theophilus, look like the mastermind of the kidnapping. Theophilus lived in the same estate as the girl’s parents.

"This suspect knew the history of Mr Theophilus and the mother, and they set up Mr Theophilus to make it look like he is the mastermind of the kidnapping. Mr Theophilus was arrested for two days before the truth eventually came out," the police spokesperson said.

During his police interview, Mr Ogbonna admitted he and his friend, Lucky, planned the kidnapping. When asked how Lucky knew about Mr Theophilus living in the same estate and having issues with the girl’s mother, Mr Ogbonna replied, "I told him about it."

He also told the police that the girl stayed in his house for two days. Mr Ogbonna said he finished secondary school. He mentioned that his mother lives in the village while his father lives in Asaba, Delta State.

The case raises legal issues about Mr Ogbonna’s claim that he had sexual relations with the girl, who is 16. During the police interview, he said they started having sex three weeks after they began dating "three months ago."

He also told the police he did not know that having sex with someone under 18 was a crime. According to Section 31 of Nigeria’s Child Rights Act, 2003, sexual intercourse with a child is a crime classified as rape, punishable by life imprisonment on conviction. The law says a child's consent and the accused's belief that the child was 18 or older do not provide a defense.

If prosecuted and found guilty under the laws against sexual intercourse with a child, Mr Ogbonna could face a long prison term, possibly life imprisonment.

The alleged kidnapping and ransom demand could lead to separate criminal charges for the suspects, depending on the evidence and the offences established by the police.

Mr Ogbonna’s admission during the police interview is not a court conviction. These allegations must be proven in court, where the prosecution must show the relevant offences beyond reasonable doubt.