Photo: SP Bright Edafe, PRO, Delta State Police Command
By Deborah Nnamdi
The Delta State Police Command has arrested a 27-year-old woman, Merit Alice, for allegedly faking her kidnapping to cover up the misappropriation of N3.6 million entrusted to her by her brother.
According to police reports, Alice confessed to diverting the funds—originally intended for the purchase of a tricycle—towards lavish expenses for her bridal shower and hotel accommodation for friends during her wedding in March.
As pressure mounted from her brother demanding a refund, Alice said she conspired with two accomplices to stage her abduction. In a statement shared via a video posted on the social media platform X, the spokesperson for the Delta State Police Command, SP Bright Edafe, explained that Alice had informed her husband she was stepping out, only to later be reported missing.
“A ransom demand of N3 million was made and paid after several distress calls,” Edafe said. “The husband followed up on the matter with the Special Anti-Kidnapping and Cybercrime Squad, which eventually led to the arrest of one of the suspects who revealed the truth behind the incident.”
Alice admitted to collecting the ransom money from a local POS operator, stating that she kept N2.5 million and shared N500,000 with her accomplices, including a man named Peter, a security guard from her former workplace.
She expressed regret over the scheme, citing mounting pressure to repay her brother as the motive for her actions.
SP Edafe commended the officers involved for their thorough investigation and successful resolution of the case.
