A married woman identified simply as Oluchi has been found in a hotel in Delta State after allegedly staging her own abduction and demanding a N50m ransom from her family.
The incident, which sparked panic among her relatives and friends, was uncovered following a police investigation that traced her location to a hotel in Ubiaroko, Delta State, where she was reportedly staying with her lover.
The woman’s children, including her daughter based in Canada, had earlier launched a public appeal for financial assistance after claiming that kidnappers had abducted their mother in the Ikpoba Hill area of Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area of Edo State.
Family members said the supposed abductors initially demanded N50m before reducing the ransom to N20m.
However, investigations by a police crack team reportedly revealed that the abduction was staged.
A source familiar with the matter disclosed that security operatives tracked the phone number of the suspected accomplice to a hotel in Delta State.
“Police traced the number of the man to a hotel in Ubiaroko, Delta State. They met the man and the woman inside a hotel. They called the husband, and he was happy. It was at the station that the police broke the news to him,” the source said.
The source added that the woman pleaded with her husband not to disclose the true circumstances surrounding the incident to their children.
Reacting in an online video, the woman’s daughter, Anita, expressed shock and disappointment over the development, saying the revelation had devastated the family.
“My mum has been released. She is involved in this kidnapping case. I only did what I did to save my mom. The family is in shock. This is not right. This has shattered my family,” she said.
She added, “My reputation has been ruined. I am short of words. I am so mad. I have no hand in this. I never knew. I only wanted my mother back home. The law will take its course.”
According to Anita, no ransom was paid before the police uncovered the alleged plot.
“We were told that my mum has been released. We didn’t pay the kidnappers. The money is intact. We are going to make a refund. We involved the police from the beginning.
“We now know it was not a real kidnapping. They said my mom is involved. They are having a relationship. The guy was traced. They had agreed to take what we already raised to N20m,” she added.
Also reacting, the Harmony Ladies Club, a social group to which Anita belongs, dissociated itself from the incident and expressed disappointment over the alleged deception.
In a statement circulated on its WhatsApp platform, the group said it had mobilised emotional, logistical and financial support when news of the purported abduction emerged.
“It is with a profound sense of betrayal that we have now discovered, through investigations, that the entire kidnapping incident was staged by Mrs Oluchi herself,” the statement read in part.
Confirming the incident, the spokesperson for the Edo State Police Command, CSP Eno Ikoedem, said four persons had been arrested in connection with the case.
“I can confirm the incident and also let you know that four people have been arrested in connection with the incident,” she stated.
The police said investigations were ongoing and that the suspects would be charged upon conclusion of the probe.
