Anambra State police have arrested a 22-year-old woman they allege staged her own kidnapping, prompting an intensified investigation after her family paid ₦3 million. Authorities say the arrest follows intelligence-led enquiries and the recovery of the woman in Asaba on September 18, 2026.
Police identified the detainee as Nwachukwu Blessing. Officers from the Rapid Response Squad, Awkuzu, traced and located the woman in a room in Asaba in the afternoon of September 18, 2026, having earlier treated her as a reported kidnap victim abducted on 29th August 2026 along the Onitsha, Asaba Expressway.
Investigators say the family paid a ransom of ₦3 million, yet the woman was not released, which deepened suspicion and spurred further police work. Preliminary findings indicate the alleged kidnapping was staged, and that Blessing acted with a female associate known as Onyinye and a male accomplice whose identity remains unknown.
SP Tochukwu Ikenga, the command spokesperson, said the suspect is cooperating with detectives and providing information to help establish the full circumstances and identify other suspects. The Anambra State Commissioner of Police, CP Nnanna Ama, has directed that the probe be intensified to ensure those found culpable face prosecution under the law.
The case shifts the focus from a missing person inquiry to a criminal investigation into conspiracy and fraud. Police action so far centres on following leads provided by the suspect and locating the unnamed male collaborator and Onyinye, whose other names are yet to be established.
Next steps, as framed by the command, are a fuller forensic and witness inquiry and the arrest of any additional suspects implicated by Blessing's statements. The command has positioned the matter for possible charges once investigators complete evidence gathering and present findings for legal action.
