IN SHORT: A photo of four people has been circulating online in Nigeria, with the claim that they were arrested for kidnapping and killing their father. But a statement from the police said they were arrested for staging the kidnapping of their co-accused and demanding ransom from her family.
“Three sister from anambra state and their brother arrested for kidnapping and killing their father,” reads part of the caption of a photo circulating on social media in Nigeria since late August 2025.
The photo shows three women and a man, with their faces blurred.
Anambra is a state in eastern Nigeria.
Between July 2024 and June 2025, 4,722 Nigerians were kidnapped, and the kidnappers received a total of N2.57 billion (approximately US$1.69 million) in ransom payments.
Nigeria has been embroiled in deep tribalism and hate speech crises, particularly since the 2023 general elections.
But is the truth to this claim? We checked.
Arrested for staging a kidnapping
A Google reverse image search revealed that the image first appeared online in 2024.
A March 2024 news report by the news outlet Punch said four people were arrested for staging a kidnapping and demanding a ransom of N5 million (about$3,200).
The Lagos state police released a statement on the incident, saying the woman who was allegedly kidnapped was part of the plot and among the four people arrested.
The claim that the photo shows four siblings arrested for kidnapping and killing their father is false.
The false claim can be found here, here, here, here and here.
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