The Edo State Police Command has uncovered what authorities described as a carefully orchestrated kidnapping scam and arrested four suspects, including a woman who allegedly staged her own abduction in a bid to fraudulently obtain N50 million in ransom from her family.
The police said the suspects conspired to create a false kidnapping narrative, complete with videos showing the purported victim bound and threatened with a firearm, in an elaborate scheme designed to convince relatives that she had been abducted by kidnappers.
According to the Command, the alleged plot was uncovered following a report filed by the woman’s husband, prompting an intensive investigation by operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit.
In a statement issued on Tuesday by the Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Eno Ikedem, the Command disclosed that the incident was first reported on June 1, 2026, by Mr. Tony Ugbowan of Agbor Road, Benin City.
According to the statement, Ugbowan informed police that his wife, Mrs. Oluchi Ugbowan, 45, had allegedly been kidnapped while on her way to her shop at Ramat Park along Agbor Road.
The husband explained that he had received a phone call on May 28, 2026, from an unknown individual using a concealed telephone number, demanding a ransom of N50 million for his wife’s release.
The statement read, “On 1st June, 2026, one Mr. Tony Ugbowan of Agbor Road, Benin City, reported at the Command that his wife, Mrs. Oluchi Ugbowan, aged 45 years, had been kidnapped on her way to her shop at Ramat Park along Agbor Road.
“He explained that on 28th May, 2026, he received a call from a concealed telephone number demanding a ransom of Fifty Million Naira (N50,000,000) for her release.”
Following the report, operatives attached to the Anti-Kidnapping Unit launched what police described as a discreet but extensive investigation, deploying both intelligence-gathering methods and technical resources to verify the circumstances surrounding the alleged abduction.
The investigation soon led detectives to one Israel Ability, 28, who was arrested at Ramat Park along Agbor Road in Benin City.
Police said a mobile phone belonging to the supposed kidnap victim was recovered from him at the time of his arrest.
During interrogation, Ability allegedly confessed that the kidnapping had been staged and that he had been recruited by Mrs. Oluchi Ugbowan herself to negotiate ransom payments with her family while falsely portraying her as a victim of abduction.
“Thorough investigation led to the arrest of one Israel Ability, male, aged 28 years, at Ramat Park, Agbor Road, Benin City. During his arrest, the mobile phone belonging to the purported victim was recovered from him,” ASP Ikedem stated.
“Upon interrogation, the suspect confessed that he had been contracted by Mrs. Oluchi Ugbowan to negotiate ransom with her family while falsely presenting her as a kidnapped victim.”
Acting on information obtained during the investigation, operatives subsequently tracked Mrs. Ugbowan to a hotel in Ukwuani Local Government Area of Delta State, where she was arrested on June 5, 2026.
Police said that during questioning, she admitted to orchestrating the fake kidnapping and subsequently led investigators to the residence of one of her alleged accomplices, identified as Ochukwudem Uwadia, 38, also in Delta State.
Further findings by investigators revealed that Uwadia’s residence served as the location where the fake kidnapping videos were produced.
According to police, the videos depicted Mrs. Ugbowan with her hands and feet tied while pleas for ransom were allegedly directed at her family members to convince them she was being held captive by kidnappers.
Investigators further discovered that Uwadia’s son, Chibuzor Ochukwudem, 18, allegedly played a central role in the production of the videos.
Police said the teenager was the individual seen pointing a firearm at Mrs. Ugbowan’s head in the footage circulated to her relatives as supposed proof that her life was in danger.
“Further investigation subsequently led operatives on 5th June, 2026, to a hotel in Ukwuani Local Government Area of Delta State, where Mrs. Oluchi Ugbowan was arrested,” the statement added.
“During interrogation, she confessed to staging her own kidnapping and thereafter led investigators to the residence of an accomplice in Delta State, one Ochukwudem Uwadia, male, aged 38 years.
“Investigation revealed that the residence was used as the location where videos depicting the victim with tied hands and feet were recorded and circulated to family members as proof of captivity.
“The suspect further disclosed that Uwadia’s son, Chibuzor Ochukwudem, male, aged 18 years, was the individual seen in the videos pointing a firearm at her head in order to further lend credibility to the false kidnapping narrative.”
The police said all individuals linked to the alleged criminal conspiracy have now been arrested.
A search conducted at the premises used for the production of the videos also resulted in the recovery of an automatic pump-action gun allegedly used during the recording of the ransom clips.
“All suspects connected to the criminal conspiracy have been arrested. A search conducted at the premises led to the recovery of an automatic pump-action gun used in the ransom videos,” Ikedem said.
