A couple in Anambra State has been arrested for allegedly sending threatening messages to residents, demanding ransom payments under the threat of kidnapping.
The couple, Kingsley Okoye (36) and his wife, Chidinma Okoye (27), were apprehended on Friday by the Anambra State Police Command and a local vigilance group, according to the state’s Police Public Relations Officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga.
Ikenga explained that the arrests followed reports of threatening text messages and voice notes received by unsuspecting members of the public, warning them of abduction unless ransoms were paid. Acting on technology-driven intelligence, a joint security operation led to the couple’s capture in Ozubulu, Ekwusigo Local Government Area of the state.
During the arrest, operatives recovered mobile phones and SIM cards from the suspects. The couple allegedly specialized in sending ransom demands, threatening victims with abduction or death if their demands were not met.
Ikenga confirmed that the suspects had confessed to the crime and admitted to destroying some of the SIM cards they had used for their fraudulent activities.
Following the arrest, the state Commissioner of Police, Nnaghe Itam, ordered the immediate transfer of the case to the Anti-Kidnapping/Robbery Squad for further investigation. The couple is expected to be arraigned upon completion of the investigation.