A final-year student of Ekiti State University (EKSU), Helen Kayode, has been arrested by the Ekiti State Police Command for allegedly fabricating her own kidnapping to spend more time with her boyfriend and avoid returning home to Lagos.
The police said the 23-year-old student sent a distress message to her sister on May 1, claiming she had boarded the wrong vehicle and had been abducted. The message quickly went viral, sparking panic across Iworoko-Ekiti and Ado-Ekiti.
Police spokesperson, SP Sunday Abutu, said the false report created unnecessary fear and disrupted the peaceful atmosphere in the state. According to him, Helen initially claimed she had been taken to an uncompleted building surrounded by bushland.
However, following a swift investigation, officers discovered that there was no kidnapping. Instead, Helen had voluntarily spent the night with her boyfriend in Ado-Ekiti before traveling to Lagos the next day.
“She confessed during interrogation that the kidnapping story was a lie,” Abutu said. “She wanted to celebrate her birthday in Ado-Ekiti and her boyfriend had promised her a surprise gift. Her parents, however, had insisted she return to Lagos, which led her to send the false message.”
The Commissioner of Police in Ekiti State, Joseph Eribo, described her actions as irresponsible and warned the public against spreading false information capable of inciting fear and disrupting public peace.
He added that the suspect would be charged to court once investigations are concluded, reaffirming the command’s commitment to maintaining law and order in the state.
