Woman fakes abduction, enlists accomplices in N50m extortion scheme

The Edo State Police Command has uncovered an elaborate self-kidnapping scheme allegedly orchestrated by a 45-year-old woman, Oluchi Ugbowan, who, with the help of accomplices, attempted to extort N50 million from her family through a fabricated abduction.

Police said the plot was exposed following a report by her husband, Tony Ugbowan, who informed Police Authorities on June 1, 2026, that his wife had been kidnapped while on her way to her shop at Ramat Park along Agbor Road in Benin City. According to him, suspected kidnappers had contacted the family through a concealed telephone number and demanded N50 million for her release.

The report triggered an immediate investigation by operatives of the Command’s Anti-Kidnapping Unit, who deployed intelligence and technical resources to trace those behind the alleged crime.

Their efforts led to the arrest of 28-year-old Israel Ability at Ramat Park, where Police recovered Ugbowan’s mobile phone.

During interrogation, Ability reportedly confessed that he was acting on the instructions of the supposed victim and had been assigned the role of negotiating ransom payments with family members while presenting her as a kidnapped person.

The breakthrough prompted detectives to extend their investigation to Delta State, where Ugbowan was arrested at a hotel in Ukwuani Local Government Area on June 5.

Police said she admitted staging her own abduction and subsequently directed investigators to the residence of one Ochukwudem Uwadia, identified as a key accomplice in the scheme.

According to investigators, the residence served as the location where videos portraying Ugbowan as a captive were produced.

The recordings, which showed her with tied hands and feet, were circulated to relatives to convince them that she was being held by kidnappers and to pressure them into paying the ransom demand.

Further investigation revealed that Uwadia’s 18-year-old son, Chibuzor Ochukwudem, featured in the videos brandishing a firearm and pointing it at the victim’s head to lend credibility to the false kidnapping narrative.

A search conducted at the premises led to the recovery of an automatic pump-action gun allegedly used during the recording of the ransom videos. Police confirmed that all suspects connected to the conspiracy have been arrested and are assisting with ongoing investigations.

Commending the operatives for unraveling the scheme, the Commissioner of Police, Monday Agbonika, said the case demonstrated the Command’s commitment to thoroughly investigating all reported kidnapping incidents. He warned that false kidnapping claims constitute serious criminal offences and divert scarce security resources from genuine victims of crime.