When Kidnapping Becomes a Social Media Ruse: How ‘Fake Abductions’ Are Fueling Fear in Ondo
The growing sophistication of criminal activities in Nigeria has taken another troubling turn in Ondo State, where suspected kidnappers and their accomplices are allegedly exploiting social media to manufacture kidnapping incidents, trigger panic and possibly extort money from unsuspecting victims.
The disturbing trend came to light after the Ondo State Security Network Agency, popularly known as Amotekun Corps, arrested four suspects allegedly involved in a self-kidnapping scheme in Akure North Local Government Area.
The suspects were among 53 persons paraded by the corps in Akure on Monday for various offences, highlighting the expanding range of security challenges confronting communities across the state.
According to the Commander of the Amotekun Corps, Mr Adetunji Adeleye, the alleged self-kidnapping operation was designed to create the impression that some individuals had been abducted, with social media allegedly used to spread the false alarm.
What made the case particularly striking was the role allegedly played by one of the suspects in reporting the supposed abduction.
Adeleye said the man had approached the Amotekun command in Akure to report that his siblings had been kidnapped. Rather than being an innocent relative seeking help, investigators allegedly discovered that he was part of the scheme.
“We know that Akure North has been quiet for some time, but we have four people here today that were involved in self-kidnapping, who raised false alarm using the social media,” Adeleye said.
The commander explained that security operatives initially arrested two suspects before further investigation exposed the wider network.
According to him, the man who reported the alleged kidnapping eventually led investigators to his residence, where the person supposedly abducted was found.
The episode illustrates a new dimension to the security challenge: the weaponisation of fear itself.
With social media platforms capable of spreading information to thousands of people within minutes, a fabricated kidnapping story can quickly assume the appearance of a genuine security incident. Such false alarms can create panic within communities, put security agencies under unnecessary pressure and potentially expose families to emotional and financial exploitation.
But while the self-kidnapping case reveals how criminals can manipulate technology, the Amotekun Corps says genuine kidnapping remains a serious threat in parts of Ondo State.
Adeleye disclosed that seven other suspects allegedly involved directly in kidnapping activities had been arrested in the Akoko axis.
He said the arrests were achieved partly through cooperation with Fulani farmers and herders in the area, stressing that some members of the community had chosen to assist security agencies rather than support criminal elements.
The operation, he said, also led to the recovery of a military uniform allegedly belonging to one of the suspects.
More disturbing was the condition in which two kidnapped victims were reportedly rescued.
According to the commander, the victims had suffered machete wounds to their heads and bodies after their abductors allegedly attempted to kill them.
The victims were rescued alive and taken to an Amotekun facility, where they were receiving medical treatment.
“We brought them back alive and treated them. They are now stable,” Adeleye said.
He added that the leader of the community who participated in the operation was able to identify the suspects, providing what the security agency considered valuable assistance in the investigation.
The commander used the development to commend Fulani farmers and herders who had cooperated with security operatives.
“We thank the Fulani herders and farmers who refused to join the band wagons of herders terrorising the state,” he said.
The arrests therefore present two contrasting pictures of the evolving security situation in Ondo.
On one hand, there are genuine criminal gangs operating in remote communities and allegedly inflicting violence on victims. On the other, there are individuals accused of creating fictitious abductions and using social media to amplify them.
Both forms of criminality pose challenges to law enforcement.
While traditional kidnapping requires intelligence gathering, community cooperation and rapid intervention, self-kidnapping and digitally amplified false alarms introduce another layer to the problem—one in which distinguishing between a genuine emergency and a carefully constructed deception becomes increasingly difficult.
For security agencies, the Ondo cases underscore the importance of combining conventional policing with digital intelligence and community-based security networks.
For the public, they offer another lesson: in an era when a frightening message can go viral within seconds, not every kidnapping claim circulating on social media should be accepted as fact.
And for communities already living under the shadow of insecurity, the consequences of fabricated abductions could be particularly damaging, potentially eroding trust, diverting scarce security resources and making genuine victims harder to identify.
The Ondo cases suggest that the fight against kidnapping is no longer confined to forests, highways and hideouts. Increasingly, it is also being fought in the digital space, where fear itself can become a tool of crime.
