Delta: Woman allegedly fakes kidnapping, later found with lover in hotel

A married woman identified as Oluchi has been found in a hotel in Delta State after allegedly staging her own abduction and demanding a ₦50 million ransom from her family.

It was gathered that her children, including a daughter based in Canada, had earlier appealed to members of the public for financial assistance to secure her release after the supposed abductors reportedly reduced the ransom demand to ₦20 million.

The family initially reported to the police that Oluchi was kidnapped in the Ikpoba Hill area of Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area of Edo State.

However, police investigations reportedly led operatives to Delta State, where she was discovered in a hotel with her alleged lover.

A security source said operatives tracked the man’s phone number to a hotel in Ubiaroko, where both were found.

“They met the man and the woman inside the hotel. The husband was contacted and invited to the station, where he was informed of the development. The woman pleaded that the true situation should not be disclosed to their children,” the source said.

In a video circulating online, Oluchi’s daughter, Anita, expressed shock over the development, saying the family believed they were dealing with a genuine abduction.

“My mum has been released. She is involved in this kidnapping case. I only did what I did to save my mother. The family is in shock. This is not right. It has shattered my family,” she said.

She added that no ransom was ultimately paid and that all funds raised remained intact.

“We involved the police from the beginning. We later discovered it was not a real kidnapping. We were told my mother was involved and that she was in a relationship with the man,” she added.

The Harmony Ladies Club, a social group the daughter belongs to, also distanced itself from the incident, saying members had supported the family in good faith before the truth emerged.

“It is with a profound sense of betrayal that we have now discovered, through investigations, that the entire kidnapping incident was allegedly staged by Mrs. Oluchi herself,” the group said in a statement.

The spokesperson of the Delta State Police Command, Eno Ikoedem, confirmed the incident, adding that four persons have been arrested in connection with the case.