The Anambra State Police Command has arrested a 22-year-old woman, Nwachukwu Chidubem Blessing, over allegations that she staged her own kidnapping and obtained a ₦3 million ransom from members of her family.
The investigation began after Blessing was reported kidnapped along the Onitsha-Asaba Expressway on August 29, 2026.
Her family subsequently paid ₦3 million after receiving a ransom demand, but she was allegedly not released after the payment, prompting police to investigate the circumstances surrounding the reported abduction.
Anambra Police spokesperson SP Tochukwu Ikenga said operatives of the Rapid Response Squad, Awkuzu, gathered intelligence during the investigation that eventually led them across the state boundary into Asaba, Delta State.
On September 18, police traced the alleged kidnap victim to a room in Asaba, where she was found.
Investigators now allege that Blessing had conspired with a female associate identified only as Onyinye and another unidentified male accomplice to stage the kidnapping and obtain money from her relatives.
Police have not publicly identified the male suspect, while Onyinye’s full identity had also not been established at the time of the Command’s statement.
The two alleged accomplices were reportedly still being sought by investigators.
According to police, Blessing is assisting the investigation with information intended to establish precisely how the alleged scheme was planned, how the ransom demand was communicated and the roles allegedly played by the other persons involved.
Anambra State Commissioner of Police Nnanna Oji Ama directed investigators to intensify efforts to establish the full circumstances of the incident and ensure that anyone found criminally responsible is brought before the courts.
The allegations potentially raise issues extending beyond the description “self-kidnapping.”
Depending on the evidence eventually established and the charges brought by prosecutors, investigators may examine allegations relating to conspiracy, obtaining money through deception and other offences arising from the alleged ransom arrangement.
No court has yet determined Blessing’s criminal responsibility, and the allegations remain subject to investigation and prosecution.
The case also illustrates the considerable resources that false kidnapping reports can potentially divert from genuine emergencies.
A reported abduction can trigger deployment of specialised police units, intelligence operations and searches extending across state boundaries while simultaneously placing families under severe financial and emotional pressure.
It is not the first reported case in Nigeria involving an alleged staged kidnapping for financial gain. Similar incidents have led police commands to warn that fabricated abduction claims will be investigated as criminal conduct where evidence establishes an attempt to obtain money fraudulently.
For Blessing’s family, police say the investigation began only after the ₦3 million payment failed to produce the expected release.
The next phase of the investigation will focus on locating the alleged accomplices and establishing how the money was received and handled before prosecutors determine the appropriate charges.
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SOURCE: Punch | The Guardian Nigeria
