
The police in Delta State are holding a young lady, Merit Eleh, 29, for staging a kidnapping of herself to raise funds to repay a debt arising from a lavish bridal shower.
According to the spokesman of the police in Delta State, SP Bright Edafe, the young lady had borrowed the sum of N3.6 million from her brother to organise the opulent bridal shower and wedding.
She, however, had no tangible repayment plan, leading her to devise a kidnap scheme which she activated on July 21.
Edafe said the police received a distress call that a woman was abducted by unknown armed men in the Bonsaac area of Asaba.
The police spokesperson said the Commissioner of Police, CP Olufemi Abaniwonda, immediately directed the Commander Special Anti-Kidnapping and Cyber Crime Squad, CSP Godwin Osadolor, to work on the case and rescue the victim.
Osadolor and his team reportedly commenced investigations, which led to the arrest of a man named Alfred Elisha at Koka Roundabout, Asaba.
Afterwards, they also picked up another man, Ugochukwu Adim, off DLA Road, Asaba, on 22 July 2025 at about 9 am.
During interrogation, the arrested men confessed that it was an arranged kidnapping between them and the victim.
Subsequently, Merit was fished out from her hiding place and arrested. During interrogation, she admitted she was not kidnapped.
She reportedly told officers that her brother loaned her N3.6 million, which she used for her elaborate bridal shower and wedding in March 2025.
Merit admitted to collecting a ransom of N3m out of which she gave her accomplices five hundred thousand naira N500k.
She said she kept the rest of the money for herself.
Edafe added that all suspects involved have been arrested, and an investigation is ongoing.