Operatives of the Edo State Police Command have arrested four suspects over an alleged staged kidnapping plot designed to extort N50 million from family members through a fabricated abduction scheme.
The suspects were arrested following investigations into the reported kidnapping of Mrs. Oluchi Ugbowan, who was initially believed to have been abducted while travelling to her shop along Agbor Road in Benin City. Police investigations later revealed that the alleged victim was reportedly involved in orchestrating the incident.
According to the police, the elaborate scheme involved fake ransom negotiations, the production of captivity videos and the use of a firearm to create the impression of a genuine kidnapping.
The case came to light on June 1, 2026, when Mr. Tony Ugbowan reported to the police that his wife, Mrs. Oluchi Ugbowan, had been abducted while on her way to her shop along Agbor Road in Benin City. According to the report, the family had received calls from an unknown number demanding N50 million for her release.
Rather than treat the incident as a routine kidnapping case, detectives from the Command’s Anti-Kidnapping Unit launched an intensive investigation, deploying intelligence gathering and technical tracking tools to verify the circumstances surrounding the alleged abduction.
The breakthrough came with the arrest of 28-year-old Israel Ability at Ramat Park, Benin City. Investigators recovered Mrs. Ugbowan’s mobile phone from him, a discovery that raised questions about the authenticity of the kidnap claim.
Under interrogation, Ability reportedly confessed that he was recruited by Mrs. Ugbowan to negotiate ransom payments from her family while presenting her as a kidnap victim.
Following the confession, police operatives tracked Mrs. Ugbowan to a hotel in Ukwuani Local Government Area of Delta State, where she was arrested on June 5. During questioning, she allegedly admitted to orchestrating the entire scheme and subsequently led investigators to another suspect, 38-year-old Ochukwudem Uwadia.
Further investigations revealed that Uwadia’s residence was used to produce and circulate videos showing Mrs. Ugbowan with her hands and feet tied while a firearm was pointed at her head to simulate captivity and pressure family members into paying the ransom.
Police identified the individual seen brandishing the weapon in the videos as Chibuzor Ochukwudem, the 18-year-old son of the suspect.
A search conducted at the premises led to the recovery of an automatic pump-action gun allegedly used in producing the ransom videos.
Reacting to the development, the Commissioner of Police, Edo State Command, CP Monday Agbonika, commended the operatives for uncovering what he described as an elaborate criminal deception.
He reiterated that every reported kidnapping case is treated with utmost seriousness and warned that false kidnap claims not only constitute criminal offences but also divert critical security resources away from genuine victims.
The command urged members of the public to remain law-abiding and refrain from engaging in activities capable of causing public panic or undermining security operations.
All suspects remain in police custody while investigations continue.
