A 29-year-old woman, Merit Eleh, who got married just four months ago, has been arrested for staging her kidnapping in an attempt to repay a N3.6 million loan.
The dramatic incident, which unfolded in Asaba, was confirmed in a statement by the state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Bright Edafe, on Monday.
According to SP Edafe, the case was reported to the police on July 21, 2025, when Eleh was allegedly abducted by unknown gunmen in the Bonsaac area of Asaba.
Acting swiftly on the report, the Commissioner of Police, CP Olufemi Abaniwonda, directed the Special Anti-Kidnapping and Cyber Crime Squad led by CSP Godwin Osadolor to rescue the ‘victim’ unhurt.
What followed was a coordinated, intelligence-driven operation that led to the arrest of two suspects, Alfred Elisha and Ugochukwu Adim. Elisha was apprehended at the Koka Roundabout in Asaba, while Adim was picked up off DLA Road around 9:00am the following day, July 22.
“Upon arrest, one of the suspects confessed that it was not an actual kidnapping but a plot between himself and the supposed victim,” SP Edafe revealed.
Following this confession, Merit Eleh was also arrested. During interrogation, she admitted to orchestrating the fake abduction to obtain a N3 million ransom from her family, out of which she gave her accomplices N500,000 and kept N2.5 million for herself.
Eleh told investigators that she owed her brother N3.6 million, which she had borrowed earlier this year to finance her bridal shower and hotel accommodation for her wedding in March 2025.
“All suspects involved have been arrested and the investigation is ongoing,” Edafe said, adding that charges would be filed upon the conclusion of the investigation.
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