I faked my kidnapping to offset debt, Edo woman admits

Oluchi Ugbowan, a 45-year-old woman arrested by the Edo State Police Command, has publicly confessed to staging her own kidnapping to settle outstanding debts. Ugbowan was apprehended with three accomplices at a hotel in the Ikpoba Hills area, days after her family reported her abduction and a subsequent ransom demand of ₦50 million.

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I was not kidnapped, but I went into hiding. Two days later, I called him (Israel Ability) again. He said the matter had escalated and asked how much they (my family) had in hand. They said N3.5 million. I said, ‘Let’s manage it.’ They said they wanted to add to the money, but it was reduced to N20 million.

Speaking in a video shared by the police, Ugbowan clarified that she was not abducted but voluntarily went into hiding. She detailed how the plan escalated, involving calls to an individual named Israel Ability, to pressure her family into raising funds. Initially, the demand was for ₦5 million, which was later increased to ₦20 million, but Ugbowan expressed that even that amount was too high, stating, "If we had ₦5 million, we would be fine."

Ugbowan admitted that the incident was a "planned simulation" and a "kidnapping drama" intended to coerce her family into providing money. She revealed that she suggested using props, including a cutlass and later a gun, to make the staged abduction appear more convincing in a video intended for her family. She described how she instructed the others to place the weapons on her neck and say her "last prayer," and even tied her own hands, believing that stronger evidence would lead to better negotiation.

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I told him (Ability) it was too much. If we had 5 million, we would be fine. I could pay off the debt because we had agreed on one week. We acted it out as a drama. So I approached these children (Ability and his younger brother). He came with his younger brother. I told them I wanted to stage a drama that would look like a kidnapping.

Expressing regret, Ugbowan attributed her actions to overwhelming financial pressure. "That was not my intention. It was the debt that was weighing heavily on me," she said, mentioning that even a microfinance institution had visited her home on the day she disappeared, which motivated her to attempt the scheme. Israel Ability, one of the suspects, corroborated Ugbowan's account, stating he assisted after she approached him with the idea, helping to purchase a SIM card for ransom calls and facilitating the recording of the staged abduction.

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I told them to put the cutlass on my neck and said, ‘Say your last prayer.’ So when we were discussing it, the children said their father had a gun, but the father was not around. I asked if there were any bullets, but they said there were none. I said, ‘If you have a gun, go and bring it. It’s better.’ So they went inside and brought the gun. I told them to put it on my neck and said, ‘Say your last prayer.’ It was inside the room that we acted it out. I was the one who tied my hands. My mindset was that if they saw stronger evidence, they would come up with a better negotiation.

Ugbowan's confession sheds light on the desperation driven by debt, leading to a fabricated crime that involved multiple individuals and caused significant distress to her family. The police have paraded the suspects, and the case highlights the severe consequences of such fraudulent actions.

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That was not my intention. It was the debt that was weighing heavily on me. They can ask people, even LAPO came to my place that day (the day I went missing), and that was what motivated me. I said, ‘Let me just do this and see how much I will get.’