The Ondo State Police Command has arrested a 42-year-old woman, Mrs. Sanmori Taiwo, and her 62-year-old husband, Pastor Sanmori Joshua, for allegedly staging her own kidnap in a plot to extort ₦10 million from family members abroad.
According to a statement released on Wednesday by the state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Olushola Ayanlade, the incident occurred on August 23, 2025, at the couple’s residence on Road 5, PowerLine, Ondo City.
DSP Ayanlade explained that Taiwo deliberately hid in a room while her husband contacted relatives, claiming she had been abducted by unknown gunmen and demanding a ransom for her release.
“Suspicious of the claims, one of the relatives, Mr. Fasegha O. Joseph, petitioned the Commissioner of Police, CP Adebowale Lawal, who immediately directed the Command’s Special Anti-Kidnapping Squad (SAKS) to investigate,” the police spokesperson said.
He added that operatives, supported by Enu-Owa Division in Ondo City, stormed the couple’s home where the woman was eventually found. She initially claimed she had just been freed after her captors collected ₦5 million.
However, during interrogation, Mrs. Taiwo confessed to masterminding the staged abduction with her husband in a desperate bid to obtain money from her relatives abroad.
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“Upon further interrogation at the Command, Mrs. Taiwo confessed that the abduction was staged as a self-kidnapping scheme, designed to extort money from her relatives abroad under the guise of securing her release. She further admitted that her motive was to settle debts and cater for personal needs,” Ayanlade stated.
The police confirmed that the couple remains in custody and will be charged in court after investigations are concluded.
Reiterating the Command’s commitment to fighting crime, Ayanlade warned against false alarms and criminal deceit, saying: “We will diligently unravel all forms of criminality, whether real or staged, in order to preserve peace, protect lives, and safeguard the integrity of communities within the state.”
