A 29-year-old woman who staged her kidnapping has been taken into custody by Delta State police in Asaba, the state capital, along with two male accomplices.
On July 21, 2025, at around 20:30 hours, the Delta State Police Command received a report of a kidnapping incident involving a female victim who was allegedly abducted by unknown armed men in the Bonsaac area of Asaba, according to a statement made by SP Bright Edafe, the Delta State Police Public Relations Officer.
“The Commissioner of Police, CP Olufemi Abaniwonda, acted promptly on the report and instructed CSP Godwin Osadolor, the Commander of the Special Anti-Kidnapping and Cyber Crime Squad, to ensure that the victim is rescued unharmed,” the statement reads.
“The command led operatives to launch a coordinated intelligence-driven operation in response to this directive.”
“On July 22, 2025, at approximately 9:00 a.m., the agents captured a male suspect named Alfred Elisha at Koka Roundabout in Asaba and another suspect named Ugochukwu Adim off DLA Road in Asaba through careful investigation and strategic deployment.”
It became clear when the suspects were apprehended that there had been a plan between the victim and himself rather than genuine kidnapping. His disclosure resulted in the 29-year-old Merit Eleh, the other suspect, being taken into custody.
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“She admitted that she used the approximately three million six hundred thousand naira (₦3,600,000) that her brother had loaned her to pay for her bridal shower and hotel stays during her March 2025 wedding.”
She added, “She claimed to have staged her kidnapping in order to obtain a three million naira (₦3,000,000) ransom, from which she gave her accomplices 500,000 naira and kept two million 500,000 naira for herself.”
“The investigation is still ongoing, and all suspects have been taken into custody.”
