Oluchi Ugbowan, a 45-year-old woman from Edo State, has confessed to staging her own kidnapping, explaining that overwhelming debt drove her to orchestrate the scheme. She was paraded alongside three alleged accomplices by the Edo State Police Command this week after her arrest at a hotel in the Ikpoba Hills area.
Debt Triggered the Plan
Ugbowan revealed that a microfinance institution visited her home on the day she disappeared, intensifying her financial pressure. Unable to find a legitimate solution, she contacted a younger acquaintance and proposed what she called a drama — a staged abduction aimed at pressuring her family to raise money quickly.
“I told them I wanted to stage a drama that would look like a kidnapping,” she said. “I was the one who tied my own hands. My mindset was that if they saw stronger evidence, they would come up with a better negotiation.”
Escalation of the Scheme
The plan escalated beyond her initial intentions. She first suggested using a cutlass but later upgraded to a gun when she learned the family of her co-conspirator had an unlicensed firearm at home. The weapon, acquired for vigilante purposes, was pressed against her neck while she was told to “say your last prayer.” That footage was sent to her family as proof of abduction.
The ransom demand started at ₦50 million. When her family said they could only raise ₦3.5 million, the figure dropped to ₦20 million. Ugbowan admitted that even ₦5 million would have been enough to settle her debt.
Accomplice Statements
Her accomplice, who purchased the SIM card used for ransom calls and accompanied her to the hotel where they contacted her husband, said he was drawn in through persistence and pressure. “After so much begging, I said okay, no problem,” he told police. His younger brother, Chinedu Chibuzor, said he believed the whole thing was a church drama and had no idea it was a real scheme. The younger brother pointed the gun, and the father who owned it was also paraded.
No ransom was paid. Ugbowan’s daughter Anita, who had gone public with appeals for help, confirmed that the money raised would be returned in full. Ugbowan expressed regret, and the court will now determine the consequences.
