A woman, Oluchi Ugbowan, has been arrested by the Edo State Police Command for allegedly faking her own kidnap to collect a N50 million ransom.
The alleged kidnap became public after Ugbowan’s daughter, Majesty Bundle, posted on Instagram that her mother had been abducted and launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise N50 million for ransom.
She disclosed that her mother was kidnapped whilst on her way to her shop.
The Edo State Police Command’s spokesperson, Eno Ikoedem, confirmed that Ugbowan faked her own kidnapping in the Ikpoba Hills area of the state, according to the Independent Television and Radio (ITV) report on Monday.
The spokesperson confirmed that officers arrested her alongside her accomplices, who are currently in police custody.
“Oluchi Ugbowan was incidentally tracked down to Delta State and was arrested in a hotel. The entire syndicate has been caught, they have all confessed to this crime, and the rifles which were used in that video have also been recovered”, she said.
The spokesperson said the authorities will prosecute the 45-year-old and those arrested with her in accordance with the law.
Ugbowan’s daughter has apologised to all Nigerians, especially those who contributed money towards securing her mother’s release.
In a now-deleted Instagram video, she stated that she was shocked and at a loss for words.
“My mum has been released. There has been an ongoing investigation. And it has been found that my mum is involved in this case. The family is in shock. I only did what any child would do to ensure her mum is safe.
“My dad has some health issues. I do not know how he will go through this. I am so angry. I have no hand in this”, she said.
“I know what it feels like to be in a season where your heart is heavy, your mind is tired, and you’re carrying burdens you never imagined you would have to face. Lately, life has tested me in ways I can’t even put into words, but one thing I keep reminding myself is this: God is not sleeping.
“Even when I don’t understand how the pain feels overwhelming, and the answers seem far away, I choose to hold on to faith. Every tear, every prayer, every sleepless night. God sees it all.”
The suspect’s daughter confirmed in another video on her Instagram page on Monday that her family are refunding the donated money.
She urged those who could not reach their family members to contact her directly to request a refund.
“I am specifically refunding all the money to members of the public who donated and contributed. All you have to do is go to my page, review the details on the screen, then send me a receipt of your payment, and you will be refunded accordingly. I am not a thief or a scammer.
“I have already started refunding, and if you are unable to reach any of my family members, reach out to me with your receipt, and you will be refunded. All the money raised is being refunded. For the GoFundMe, we are working on an automatic refund so that everybody gets their money back.”