The Edo State Police Command has arrested a 45-year-old woman, Mrs. Oluchi Ugbowan, and three other suspects for allegedly staging her own kidnapping in a bid to extort N50 million from her family through a fabricated abduction scheme.
Police said the suspects were apprehended following a painstaking investigation that exposed the elaborate plot, leading to the recovery of an automatic pump action gun allegedly used to create fake ransom videos.
According to a statement issued on Tuesday by the Police Public Relations Officer of the command, ASP Eno Ikioedem, the case was reported on June 1, 2026, by Mr. Tony Ugbowan of Agbor Road, Benin City, who informed police that his wife had been kidnapped while on her way to her shop at Ramat Park.
The complainant told investigators that he had received a call from a concealed telephone number on May 28 demanding a ransom of N50 million for her release.
The statement added that operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit immediately launched a discreet investigation, deploying intelligence and technical resources to unravel the circumstances surrounding the alleged abduction.
Police investigations led to the arrest of one Israel Ability, 28, at Ramat Park, Agbor Road, Benin City, where officers recovered the mobile phone belonging to the purported victim.
During interrogation, Ability reportedly confessed that he had been hired by Mrs. Ugbowan to negotiate ransom payments with her family while presenting her as a kidnap victim.
The confession prompted further investigations, which led operatives to a hotel in Ukwuani Local Government Area of Delta State on June 5, where Mrs. Ugbowan was arrested.
Police said the suspect admitted to staging her own kidnapping and subsequently led investigators to the residence of an accomplice, identified as Ochukwudem Uwadiae, 38, in Delta State.
According to the statement, investigators discovered that the residence was used to record videos showing Mrs. Ugbowan with her hands and feet tied, which were later sent to family members as evidence that she was being held captive.
The police further revealed that Uwadiae’s 18-year-old son, Chibuzor Ochukwudem, was the person seen in the videos pointing a firearm at Mrs. Ugbowan’s head to make the purported kidnapping appear genuine.
“All suspects connected to the criminal conspiracy have been arrested,” the statement said.
A search of the premises allegedly used for the operation led to the recovery of an automatic pump-action gun believed to have been used in producing the ransom videos.
The Commissioner of Police in Edo State, CP Monday Agbonika, commended the operatives for what he described as a thorough and professional investigation that swiftly uncovered the deception.
Agbonika warned that the command treats all kidnapping reports seriously and deploys available resources to rescue victims and apprehend offenders.
He cautioned members of the public against engaging in false kidnapping schemes, noting that such acts constitute serious criminal offences and divert security resources from genuine victims.
