The Ondo State Police Command has arrested a clergyman, Pastor Sanmori Olubumi Joshua, 62, and his wife, Mrs. Sanmori Taiwo, 42, for allegedly staging a self-kidnapping in Ondo City in a bid to extort money from relatives abroad.
The couple, who reside in the Power Line area of the city, were accused of orchestrating the plot to raise funds to settle debts and meet personal needs.
Police spokesperson DSP Ayanlade Olayinka Olushola, in a statement issued on behalf of the Commissioner of Police, confirmed the arrest.
“On August 23, 2025, Mrs. Taiwo deliberately secluded herself in a room while her husband called relatives claiming she had been kidnapped by unknown gunmen demanding a ransom of ₦10 million,” the statement read.
The plot unraveled after a family member, Mr. Fasegha O. Joseph, reported the suspicious claims to Commissioner of Police, CP Adebowale Lawal. Acting on the complaint, operatives from the Special Anti-Kidnapping Squad, with support from the Enu-owa Police Division, traced Mrs. Taiwo to her home. She had falsely claimed she was released after a supposed ₦5 million ransom payment.
In her confession, Mrs. Taiwo admitted: “The scheme was designed to extort money from our relatives abroad to settle debts and meet personal needs.”
The police confirmed that both she and her husband are now under investigation. “Appropriate legal action will be taken,” the statement added.
