The Anambra State Police Command has arrested a 22-year-old woman, Nwachukwu Chidubem Blessing, over an alleged self-kidnapping scheme in which her family reportedly paid ₦3 million in ransom.
The woman was allegedly abducted along the Onitsha–Asaba Expressway on August 29, 2026.
The Command’s Police Public Relations Officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, disclosed this in a statement issued on Sunday, September 20, 2026.
Ikenga said operatives of the Rapid Response Squad, Awkuzu, arrested the suspect following intelligence gathered during an investigation into the reported abduction.
According to the police, Blessing’s family paid ₦3 million to secure her release after she was reported kidnapped. However, the alleged victim was not released even after the ransom was paid, raising suspicions and prompting investigators to intensify efforts to determine what had happened.
The police said sustained intelligence gathering eventually led operatives to a room in Asaba, Delta State, where Blessing was found and recovered on the afternoon of Friday, September 18.
Preliminary investigation reportedly showed that the woman may have arranged the alleged abduction herself in collaboration with a female associate identified as Onyinye, whose other names have not yet been established, and an unidentified male accomplice.
The police said the trio allegedly staged the kidnapping in an attempt to obtain money from Blessing’s family.
Ikenga added that the arrested woman was assisting investigators with information expected to shed more light on the circumstances surrounding the incident and help the police identify and locate her alleged accomplices.
The Commissioner of Police in Anambra State, CP Nnanna Oji Ama, has directed that the investigation be intensified to establish the full facts of the case.
The CP also ordered investigators to ensure that anyone found culpable is prosecuted in accordance with the law.
