I believe the OP uses the word "password" incorrectly; they're talking about the device passcode. The details provided in the post indicate they do not know the Apple ID's password, and are unable to perform account recovery (ie: password reset) which requires answers to security questions and/or access to the email address's inbox.
Edit: Another comment chain noted that the OP says the Apple ID was locked as well. It's possible they did know the account's password, but it looks like certain situations may require one to perform account recovery to unlock an account[1].