Police in Anambra State, Nigeria, have arrested a 22-year-old woman for allegedly staging her own kidnapping and collecting ₦3 million in ransom from her family.
The suspect, identified as Nwachukwu Chidubem Blessing, was reportedly abducted along the Onitsha–Asaba Expressway on August 29, 2026.
According to the Anambra State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, the family paid ₦3 million to secure her release. However, she was not released after the payment, prompting police to intensify investigations into the case.
The police subsequently traced the alleged victim to a room in Asaba, Delta State, where she was found and rescued on September 18 by operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS), Awkuzu.
Preliminary investigations, according to the police, have since taken a different turn, with investigators alleging that Blessing was not actually kidnapped.
Police said their findings indicate that the 22-year-old allegedly conspired with a female associate identified only as Onyinye, whose other names are yet to be established, and an unidentified male accomplice to stage the kidnapping.
The group allegedly devised the scheme to obtain money from Blessing’s family as ransom.
Blessing is currently assisting police with investigations as authorities work to establish the full circumstances surrounding the alleged self-kidnapping and identify the other persons believed to be involved.
The police have not disclosed whether the ₦3 million allegedly paid by the family has been recovered.
