Operatives of the Edo State Police Command have uncovered a staged kidnapping plot and arrested four suspects allegedly involved in a conspiracy to fraudulently extort ₦50 million from the family of a woman who falsely claimed to have been abducted.
The Command said the case began on June 1, 2026, when Mr. Tony Ugbowan of Agbor Road, Benin City, reported that his wife, 45-year-old Mrs. Oluchi Ugbowan, had been kidnapped while on her way to her shop at Ramat Park. According to him, he had received a call from an unknown number on May 28 demanding a ransom of ₦50 million for her release.
Following the report, operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit launched a discreet investigation, deploying intelligence and technical resources to determine the circumstances surrounding the alleged abduction.
The investigation led to the arrest of 28-year-old Israel Ability at Ramat Park, Agbor Road, Benin City. Police recovered the purported victim’s mobile phone from him. During interrogation, Ability reportedly confessed that he had been recruited by Mrs. Ugbowan to negotiate ransom payments with her family while presenting her as a kidnap victim.
Further investigations took detectives to a hotel in Ukwuani Local Government Area of Delta State, where Mrs. Ugbowan was arrested on June 5. Police said she confessed to orchestrating her own kidnapping and subsequently led investigators to the residence of one Ochukwudem Uwadia, 38, in Delta State.
According to the police, the residence served as the location where videos showing Mrs. Ugbowan with her hands and legs tied were recorded and sent to family members as proof that she was being held captive.
Investigators also discovered that Uwadia’s 18-year-old son, Chibuzor Ochukwudem, was the individual seen in the videos pointing a firearm at Mrs. Ugbowan’s head to make the fake kidnapping appear genuine.
All suspects connected to the conspiracy have been arrested. A search of the premises led to the recovery of an automatic pump-action gun allegedly used in the production of the ransom videos.
Commending the operatives for their professionalism and diligence, the Commissioner of Police in Edo State, CP Monday Agbonika, said the Command remains committed to treating all reported kidnapping cases with utmost seriousness and deploying every available resource to rescue victims and apprehend perpetrators.
He warned members of the public against engaging in false kidnapping schemes, noting that such actions constitute serious criminal offences and divert critical security resources from genuine victims of crime.
The police also urged residents to promptly report suspicious incidents and avoid actions capable of creating unnecessary fear and panic within communities.