BENIN CITY, Nigeria — The Edo State Police Command has arrested four suspects, including Mrs. Oluchi Ugbowan, over an alleged scheme to stage her own kidnapping and extort ₦50 million from her family through a fabricated abduction plot.
Okay News reports that the arrests follow days of public attention surrounding the case after family members launched an emotional campaign seeking financial assistance for what was believed to be a genuine kidnapping. Police said the investigation began after Mrs. Ugbowan’s husband, Mr. Tony Ugbowan, reported her disappearance and disclosed that ransom demands had been made from a concealed telephone number following her alleged abduction on May 28.
According to the police, investigators uncovered the alleged deception after tracing the victim’s mobile phone to a suspect identified as Israel Ability. During interrogation, he reportedly confessed that Mrs. Ugbowan recruited him to negotiate ransom payments while pretending she had been abducted. Further investigations led detectives to a hotel in Delta State, where Mrs. Ugbowan was arrested on June 5. Police said she subsequently confessed to staging the kidnapping and directed investigators to additional accomplices linked to the operation.
Authorities said the probe revealed that ransom videos circulated to family members were recorded at a residence in Delta State belonging to another suspect, Ochukwudem Uwadia. Investigators alleged that Uwadia’s 18-year-old son, Chibuzor, appeared in the videos pointing a firearm at Mrs. Ugbowan’s head to create the impression that she was being held captive. A search of the property reportedly led to the recovery of an automatic pump-action gun believed to have been used during the recordings.
The Commissioner of Police in Edo State, Monday Agbonika, commended officers involved in the investigation, describing the case as an elaborate criminal conspiracy that diverted resources from genuine kidnapping cases. He warned that false kidnapping schemes remain serious criminal offences and urged members of the public to report suspicious activities promptly. The suspects remain in police custody and are expected to face prosecution upon the conclusion of investigations.
