Edo Woman Who Faked Kidnapping Confesses to Staging Abduction to Settle Debts

Oluchi Ugbowan, a 45-year-old woman arrested by the Edo State Police Command for allegedly faking her own kidnapping, has confessed that she orchestrated the entire abduction drama to generate funds and settle her mounting debts.

Ugbowan was arrested alongside three others at a hotel in the Ikpoba Hills area of Edo State, days after her family reported her missing and received a ₦50 million ransom demand from her supposed abductors.

The Police Command paraded the suspects in a video released on social media by spokesperson CSP Eno Ikoedem on Tuesday.

In her confession captured on video, Ugbowan admitted she was never kidnapped but went into hiding to stage the incident.

“I was not kidnapped, but I went into hiding,” she said, explaining that two days later she contacted Israel Ability to manage a ransom negotiation after her family indicated they had N3.5 million.

She said the plan escalated into a full “kidnapping drama” intended to pressure her family for more money.

“I told them to put the cutlass on my neck and said, ‘Say your last prayer.’ … I was the one who tied my hands. My mindset was that if they saw stronger evidence, they would come up with a better negotiation,” Ugbowan stated.

She further revealed using a gun without bullets as a prop to make the video more convincing and expressed regret, blaming heavy financial pressure, including demands from LAPO microfinance.

“That was not my intention. It was the debt that was weighing heavily on me… I said, ‘Let me just do this and see how much I will get,’” she said.

One of the co-suspects, Israel Ability, confirmed he was approached by Ugbowan to help execute the plan, purchasing the SIM card used for ransom calls, facilitating the hotel stay, and making the ₦50 million demand.

“She is very popular in Agbor. We took a bike… When we got there, we inserted the SIM card into her phone and used it to make the call,” Ability said, adding that he thought he was helping her and did not anticipate the legal consequences.

His younger brother, Chinedu Chibuzor, claimed he believed the act was a drama for church purposes and admitted to pointing the gun at her in the video, while their father confirmed ownership of the unlicensed firearm used, saying it was bought for vigilante duties.

The police said investigations are ongoing, and the incident has sparked reactions among residents over the growing trend of self-orchestrated kidnappings for financial gain in the state.

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