The Delta State Police Command has arrested suspected self-kidnapper, Nelson Eserada, and his accomplice, Jerry Lawrence.
The Command’s Spokesperson, SP Bright Edafe, disclosed this on Thursday while speaking to PUNCH Metro in Asaba.
He said the suspect and his accomplice reached out to Eserada’s parent and demanded N50 million ransom.
He said, “Following complaints received from the father of one Nelson Eserada at Abraka Division that his son Nelson Eserada was kidnapped and that the kidnappers were demanding a ransom of N50 million in bitcoin.
“The suspect also sent a video of the supposed victim tied and being tortured. The DPO Abraka SP Fabian Ayameh swiftly moved into action and embarked on a technical intelligence-led investigation. On June 10, 2024, one Jerry Lawrence of Jeddo Community Warri was arrested in connection with the crime.
“Preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect conspired with the said Nelson Eserada, a 400 Level Student of Banking & Finance Department of the Delta State University Abraka, and that the father had already paid the sum of N5.2 million ransom through a Bitcoin account belonging to the principal suspect Jerry Lawrence.”
Edafe said the suspects are in custody and the investigation was ongoing.
