Police Nab 22-Year-Old Over Staged Kidnap and ₦3m Ransom Scam in Anambra

The Anambra State Police Command has arrested a 22-year-old woman for allegedly staging her own abduction and collecting ₦3 million in ransom from her family.

Nwachukwu Chidubem Blessing was picked up on Friday, September 18, in a room in Asaba, Delta State, by operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS), Awkuzu. The arrest followed credible intelligence gathered during investigations into a reported kidnapping along the Onitsha–Asaba Expressway.

According to a statement by the command’s spokesperson, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, the young woman was reported missing on August 29 after she was supposedly abducted on the busy expressway. Her family, anxious for her safe return, paid the ₦3 million ransom demanded by the alleged kidnappers. When she was not released despite the payment, police intensified their probe.

Sustained intelligence work led officers to her location in Asaba more than two weeks later.

Preliminary findings indicate that Blessing allegedly conspired with a female associate identified only as Onyinye (whose full identity is still being established) and an unidentified male accomplice to fake the kidnapping and extract money from her relatives.

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Ikenga said the suspect is currently assisting investigators with information aimed at identifying and apprehending her alleged partners in the scheme. Commissioner of Police Nnanna Oji Ama has ordered a thorough investigation to establish the full circumstances of the incident and ensure that anyone found culpable faces justice.

The case highlights a recurring pattern of self-orchestrated abductions in the state, where individuals sometimes collude with others to defraud their own families under the guise of genuine kidnappings. Police continue to urge the public to remain vigilant and report suspicious activities promptly.