-Suspect found with secret lover after family raised N50 millions in ransom; four accomplices arrested
What was initially thought to be a harrowing tale of insecurity and a life-threatening abduction has taken a scandalous turn as a married woman, identified as Mrs. Oluchi, was discovered in a hotel room in Delta State, cooling off with her lover while her family scrambled to pay a multi-million naira ransom.
The drama, which has left the Edo State community and the Nigerian diaspora in shock, began when reports emerged that Mrs. Oluchi had been violently snatched by gunmen in the Ikpoba Hill area of Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area, Edo State.
Believing their matriarch was in the hands of bloodthirsty kidnappers, the family was plunged into a state of panic. The “abductors” initially demanded a staggering ₦50 million for her release, a figure that was later negotiated down to ₦20 million.
In a desperate bid to save her mother, Mrs. Oluchi’s daughter, Anita, who is based in Canada, took to social media and reached out to various groups to raise the funds. Friends, family members, and the “Harmony Ladies Club”—a social organization Mrs. Oluchi belonged to—rallied together, carrying the heavy emotional and financial burden of what they believed was a life-and-death crisis.
However, the bubble burst when a crack team of police investigators used high-tech tracking to trace the phone number used for the ransom negotiations. Instead of a kidnappers’ den in the forest, the signal led detectives to a hotel in Ubiaroko, Delta State.
Upon storming the hotel room, police found Mrs. Oluchi not in chains, but in the company of her lover.
According to sources close to the investigation, the police initially called the woman’s husband to inform him she had been “rescued.” The husband was reportedly overjoyed, only for his world to come crashing down at the police station when the sordid details of the staged abduction and the presence of the “other man” were revealed. In a desperate attempt to save face, Mrs. Oluchi reportedly pleaded with her husband to hide the truth from their children—a plea that fell on deaf ears.
Reacting to the development in a heartbreaking online video, her daughter, Anita, expressed profound betrayal.
“My mum is involved in this kidnapping case. I only did what I did to save my mom. This has shattered my family. My dad has health issues. This is so unfortunate,” Anita lamented.
She confirmed that the ₦20 million raised is intact and will be refunded to donors. “We involved the police from the beginning. We now know it was not a real kidnapping. They said my mom is involved; they [she and the man found with her] are having a relationship. The law will take its course,” she added.
The Harmony Ladies Club, which had mobilized support for their “distressed” member, issued a scathing statement dissociating itself from her.
“It is with a profound sense of betrayal that we discovered the entire incident was staged by Mrs. Oluchi herself,” the club stated via their WhatsApp group. “Our members provided extensive emotional and financial support during what we believed was a life-threatening crisis. We express deep disappointment and embarrassment at her actions.”
Edo State Police Command spokesperson, Eno Ikoedem, confirmed the incident, stating that the “victim-turned-suspect” is in custody.
“I can confirm the incident and also let you know that four people have been arrested in connection with the staged kidnapping,” Ikoedem stated.
The suspects are expected to be charged to court for conspiracy, extortion, and giving false information once investigations are concluded. For now, a family is left to pick up the pieces of a reputation ruined by a mother’s calculated deception.
