The Edo State Police Command has arrested a 21-year-old dispatch rider, David Ekes, for allegedly squandering N1.3m belonging to his employer and a customer on online gambling and staging his own kidnapping to conceal the loss.
PUNCH Metro gathered that Ekes, an employee of Dibecs Industry Limited, Okpella, in Etsako East Local Government Area, was initially reported missing on January 30, 2026.
In a statement issued on Monday in Benin City, the Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Eno Ikoedem, said the case was first treated as a suspected abduction after a report was filed at the Okpella Police Division by the suspect’s uncle, Moses Ekes.
According to the police, the dispatch rider had left his residence on January 27 on an unregistered motorcycle, contrary to company rules, and was not seen thereafter.
The motorcycle was later found abandoned along the road leading to one of the company’s factory locations and recovered to the firm’s office.
Ikoedem said operatives immediately launched a search and combed surrounding bushes while investigations commenced.
“However, on January 31, information was received that the missing person had returned on his own and was weak.
He was taken to a hospital in Okpella, where police operatives visited and monitored his condition,” the statement read.
The police spokesperson added that upon regaining strength, the suspect claimed he was kidnapped by three unknown men who allegedly forced him to trek through a forest for days and withdrew money from his bank account.
“Discrete investigation later revealed that between January 25 and 26, 2026, the suspect lost a total sum of N1,308,000 belonging to his company and a customer through online gambling on a virtual sports betting platform,” Ikoedem said.
He explained that Ekes allegedly travelled to Abuja after the losses, sold his mobile phone, lodged in a hotel and deliberately staged the kidnapping to cover up the financial shortfall.
The police said the suspect has since confessed to the crime and would be charged to court.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police, Monday Agbonika, warned members of the public against raising false distress reports, noting that such acts waste security resources and erode public trust.
He also cautioned youths against irresponsible gambling, saying addiction often fuels desperation and criminal behaviour.