The Edo State Police Command has dismantled a staged kidnapping plot allegedly masterminded by a woman, identified as Mrs. Oluchi Ugbowan, alongside three accomplices, in an attempt to extort ₦50 million from her family using a fake abduction story.
The Command said four suspects were arrested after what it described as a discreet, intelligence-led operation carried out by its Anti-Kidnapping Unit.
According to a statement by Eno Ikoedem, the Edo Police Public Relations Officer, Tony Ugbowan of Agbor Road, Benin City, had on June 1, 2026, reported that his 45-year-old wife, Oluchi Ugbowan, was kidnapped while heading to her shop at Ramat Park along Agbor Road.
He told police he received a call on May 28 from a hidden number, demanding ₦50 million as ransom for her release.
The police said operatives immediately swung into action, which led to the arrest of one Israel Ability, 28, at Ramat Park, Agbor Road, where a mobile phone belonging to the alleged victim was recovered from him.
“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,” the Command stated.
Subsequent investigations led officers to a hotel in Ukwuani Local Government Area of Delta State, where Mrs. Ugbowan was arrested on June 5, 2026.
She was said to have admitted to staging her own abduction and later guided investigators to the home of another alleged accomplice, Ochukwudem Uwadia, 38.
The police further disclosed that the premises were used to film videos showing the supposed victim with her hands and legs tied, which were sent to her family as supposed proof of the kidnapping. It added that Uwadia’s 18-year-old son, Chibuzor Ochukwudem, appeared in the footage pointing a firearm at her to reinforce the fake abduction narrative.
The Command said all four suspects linked to the scheme have been arrested, adding that a search of the premises led to the recovery of an automatic pump-action gun allegedly used in the ransom videos.
Commissioner of Police, Edo State Command, CP Monday Agbonika, fdc, commended the operatives for what he described as their professionalism and swift unraveling of the deception.
He warned that the Command treats all kidnapping reports with utmost seriousness and deploys all available resources to rescue victims and apprehend perpetrators.
He also 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 cases.
