Police in Ondo State have uncovered a shocking plot by Mrs Sanmori Taiwo and her husband, Pastor Sanmori Olubumi Joshua, to fake her kidnapping and extort N10 million from relatives abroad. The 42-year-old Taiwo silently confined herself in a separate room on August 23rd at their PowerLine residence in Ondo City, while her 62-year-old husband contacted family members using her phone to demand a ransom, police confirmed.
DSP Olushola Ayanlade, Command Spokesperson, explained, “One of the relatives, Mr Fasegha O. Joseph, grew suspicious and reported the matter to Commissioner of Police, CP Adebowale Lawal, who quickly deployed the Special Anti-Kidnapping Squad.” The team, aided by officers from Enu-owa Division, located Mrs Taiwo at the residence, where she initially claimed to have been released following payment of five million naira.
Under intense questioning, Mrs Taiwo confessed the entire abduction was staged to deceive relatives into sending money, intending to use the funds to settle personal debts and expenses. “This case highlights our unwavering commitment to rooting out criminality, be it genuine or fabricated,” Ayanlade declared. Both Mrs Taiwo and her pastor husband remain under investigation as legal proceedings are set to follow.
This incident underscores the challenges faced by law enforcement in Ondo State and the growing need to educate communities about scams targeting families both domestically and abroad.
