The Edo State Police Command has uncovered an alleged staged kidnapping involving a dispatch officer of Dibecs Industry Limited, Okpella, who reportedly orchestrated his own disappearance to conceal a ₦1.308 million gambling loss.
The Police disclosed this in a statement signed by the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Edo State Command, ASP Eno Ikoedem, and issued on Monday in Benin.
According to the police, the suspect, David Ekes, 21, a dispatch officer with Dibecs Industry Limited located at Km 162, Auchi–Okene Expressway, Okpella, was reported missing on January 30, 2026, by his uncle, Moses Ekes, at the Okpella Police Division.
The statement said the suspect was last seen on January 27, 2026, at about 8:30pm when he left his residence riding a black, unregistered motorcycle from Factory 2 to Factory 3 of the company, an act said to be contrary to the firm’s operational policy.
“He was not seen or heard from thereafter, while the motorcycle was later discovered abandoned along the road leading to Factory 3 and was subsequently recovered to the company’s main office,” the police said.
Following the report, operatives of the Okpella Police Division were said to have promptly visited the scene, combed the surrounding bush paths, documented relevant findings and commenced a full-scale investigation into the reported disappearance.
However, in a dramatic twist, the police revealed that information was received on January 31, 2026, at about 8:00am that the allegedly kidnapped dispatch officer had resurfaced on his own and was said to be in a weak condition.
“He was taken to a hospital in Okpella, where police operatives visited and closely monitored his condition,” the statement added.
The police said that after his discharge from the hospital, the suspect alleged during interrogation that he was kidnapped by three unidentified men, forced to trek barefoot through the forest for over three days, during which his Tecno Camon mobile phone was seized and funds withdrawn from his First Bank account.
However, further discreet investigation by the Command allegedly revealed that between January 25 and 26, 2026, the suspect lost a total sum of ₦1,308,000, belonging to his company and a customer, through online gambling on a virtual sports betting platform.
Police findings further showed that the suspect immediately travelled to Abuja, sold his mobile phone, lodged in a hotel and deliberately staged his own kidnapping to cover up the financial loss.
Confronted with the evidence, the suspect reportedly confessed to the crime.
The police said he would be arraigned in court upon the conclusion of investigation to serve as a deterrent to others.
Meanwhile, the Edo State Commissioner of Police, CP Monday Agbonika, warned members of the public against raising false distress reports and engaging in criminal deception, noting that such acts undermine public confidence and waste critical security resources.
The Commissioner also cautioned youths involved in gambling to exercise restraint, stressing that addiction often leads to desperation and criminal tendencies.
