A married woman who claimed she had been abducted and held for a N50m (£20,000) ransom has been found unharmed with her lover in a hotel, police in southern Nigeria say.
Family members of the woman, identified as Mrs. Oluchi, had spent days appealing for public donations to secure her release after the alleged kidnappers lowered their demands to N20m.
Relatives originally informed authorities that she had been seized by armed men in the Ikpoba Hill area of Edo State.
However, a police investigation tracked phone signals to a hotel in Ubiaroko, neighbouring Delta State, where crack detectives discovered Mrs. Oluchi staying with her partner.
Edo State police spokesperson Eno Ikoedem confirmed that four people have been arrested in connection with the incident.
According to local sources, Mrs. Oluchi’s husband was initially overjoyed when informed his wife had been found safe, only to be told the details of the plot at the police station. His wife reportedly begged him to conceal the truth from their children.
The revelation has caused widespread shock and left her family “shattered”, according to her Canada-based daughter, Anita.
In an emotional video posted online, Anita apologised to well-wishers and confirmed that all funds raised by the public remained intact and would be refunded.
“I only did what I did to save my mum. The family is in shock,” she said, adding that her father suffers from underlying health conditions. “My reputation has been ruined. I am short of words… The law will take its course.”
The Harmony Ladies Club, a local social group to which Anita belongs, has formally distanced itself from the incident, expressing a “profound sense of betrayal”.
The club said its members had rallied swiftly to provide emotional and financial support during what they believed was a “life-threatening crisis”, only to discover the entire ordeal had been staged.
Police investigations into the incident are ongoing.
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