Methodist priest arrested for ‘faking own kidnap’

The Ekiti State Police Command has arrested a Methodist Church priest, Rev. Peter Adegoke Adewuyi, for allegedly faking his own kidnap to collect ransom from church members and other individuals.

The police also arrested Sunday Oluwadare Adewole, who was allegedly helping the priest to make calls to unsuspecting members of the public to demand ransom on the phantom abduction.

A source at the command told our reporter yesterday that the two suspects will be charged to court as soon as the police conclude their investigations.

The 31-year-old priest was said to have lodged in a hotel in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, and hid himself from public view from where he and his accomplice were making calls to the members of the public to pay ransom for his release.

He claimed that his “captors” demanded N3 million “ransom” for his freedom.

The development reportedly threw his church into confusion with members raising cash to pay the ransom for what turned out to be a fake kidnap saga.

The phoney abduction stunt was busted by the police, which intercepted and arrested the holder of the phone with GSM number 09078589516 with which the N3 million ransom was being demanded from family members and church members.

Unknown to the priest, he was being tracked to a location near First Bank in Okeyinmi area of Ado-Ekiti where he went to pick the ransom.

During interrogation by the police, Adewuyi confessed to have masterminded his own “kidnap” and demanding for a N3 million ransom.

The priest also confessed that he lodged at a hotel during the period of his self-enforced disappearance from the public.

The two suspects are in detention at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) of the police headquarters in the state.