ONITSHA — The Anambra State Police Command has arrested a 22-year-old woman, Nwachukwu Chidubem Blessing, over an alleged self-kidnapping scheme in which her family reportedly paid N3 million as ransom.
Blessing was reportedly abducted along the Onitsha–Asaba Expressway on August 29, 2026, prompting her family to pay the ransom after receiving demands for her release.
However, when she was not released as expected, operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS), Awkuzu, intensified investigations into the reported abduction.
The police said intelligence-led operations eventually led them to a room in Asaba, Delta State, where the alleged victim was found on the afternoon of September 18 and subsequently arrested.
Preliminary investigations, according to the command, indicated that the reported kidnapping may have been staged.
The police alleged that Blessing conspired with a female associate identified as Onyinye, whose other names are yet to be established, and another unidentified male accomplice to fabricate the abduction and obtain money from her family.
The command said the discovery had shifted the case from a conventional kidnapping investigation to an alleged conspiracy and fraud case.
Detectives are now investigating how the alleged abduction was planned, how the ransom was obtained and what happened to the N3 million paid by the family.
The police said Blessing was assisting investigators with information that could help unravel the circumstances surrounding the incident and identify the alleged accomplices.
The Commissioner of Police, Anambra State Command, CP Nnanna Oji Ama, directed that the investigation be intensified and that anyone found culpable be prosecuted in accordance with the law.
The command urged members of the public to remain vigilant and cooperate with security agencies in cases involving suspected kidnapping and ransom demands.
The police, however, stressed that the allegations remain subject to investigation, while the identities and roles of the other alleged accomplices have yet to be established.
The statement was signed by the Police Public Relations Officer, Anambra State Command, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, on September 20, 2026.
