A 54-year-old woman has allegedly turned her own abduction into a family extortion scheme, claiming she was held captive for 12 days and demanding N15m from her younger brother for her release.
The woman reportedly told her brother that she had been seized by unidentified men while going out to buy medication and taken into the bush, where her abductors threatened to kill her if the ransom was not paid.
But what appeared to be a desperate kidnapping case reportedly took a different turn after the police launched an investigation and uncovered that the woman had allegedly staged the abduction herself.
The Delta State Police Public Relations Officer, Bright Edafe, disclosed the development in a video showing the suspect confessing to the alleged crime.
According to Edafe, the incident was reported at the Ogwashi-Uku Divisional Police Headquarters on October 23, 2026, following which the Commissioner of Police directed operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit in Obu-Luku, Aniocha South Local Government Area, to investigate.
He said intelligence gathered during the investigation exposed the alleged deception, leading to the woman’s arrest and subsequent confession.
In the video, the suspect admitted contacting her younger brother and falsely claiming that she had been kidnapped while going out to purchase medicine.
“I kidnapped myself. I told my brother I had been kidnapped when I went out to buy medicine. I told him they wanted N15m and threatened to kill me if he failed to pay. It was the devil’s work. I want forgiveness,” she said.
Edafe said the woman claimed to have spent 12 days in captivity as part of the arrangement, adding that police investigations had also pointed to the possible involvement of accomplices.
He described the case as unusual, noting that previous staged kidnapping incidents encountered by the police had largely involved teenagers and young adults.
The police spokesman said efforts were ongoing to identify and arrest other persons allegedly involved in the scheme.
Kehinde Ayanboade
Kehinde Ayanboade is the Managing Editor and Publisher of Naija Metro News, with over eight years of experience covering Nigerian politics, crime, legislative proceedings and metropolitan affairs.
