Operatives of the Edo State Police Command have arrested a 27-year-old woman, Chioma Success Ezebie, for allegedly faking her own kidnapping and collecting a ₦5 million ransom from her husband.
According to the police, Chioma reportedly staged her abduction alongside her three-year-old son on October 27, 2025, and arranged for one Martins Chidozie, 23, to call her husband, Paul Adaniken, claiming that she and the child had been kidnapped.
Worried about their safety, Adaniken reported the incident to the police, prompting the Command’s Anti-Kidnapping Unit to launch a cyber-based intelligence investigation. The operation led to the arrest of Chioma’s cousin, Osita Godfrey, 33, who was believed to have provided critical information to facilitate the fake abduction.
Edo Police Deputy Spokesperson, ASP Eno Ikoedem, said Godfrey’s confession eventually led investigators to Chioma, who admitted to conspiring with others to stage the kidnap in order to extort her husband.
“All suspects have made useful confessional statements. The sum of five million naira (₦5,000,000) paid as ransom has been recovered, and the case has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for further investigation and prosecution,” Ikoedem stated.
The Commissioner of Police, CP Monday Agbonika, commended officers of the New Etete Division for their swift and tactical response, which led to the swift resolution of the case. He cautioned residents against criminal activities capable of disturbing public peace, stressing that the Command remains committed to using intelligence and technology-driven strategies to combat all forms of crime in the state.
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