Operatives of the Delta State Police Command have uncovered a staged abduction orchestrated by a newlywed woman in a desperate bid to recover wedding expenses.

The State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Bright Edafe, who confirmed “what was initially believed to be a case of kidnapping but later turned out to be a self-abducted case”, told The Guardian in Asaba on Monday that the operatives arrested all suspects involved in such criminal deceit, saying, “the law will take its full course.”

Edafe stated that the Command received a distress report about the abduction of a female victim by unknown armed men in the Bonsaac area of Asaba, on July 21, 2025, at about 8:30 p.m.

He explained that the Commissioner of Police, CP Olufemi Abaniwonda, acted swiftly on the report and ordered the Commander of the Special Anti-Kidnapping and Cyber Crime Squad, CSP Godwin Osadolor, to lead a rescue operation, which paid off.

“What followed was a coordinated, intelligence-led effort that led to the arrest of one Alfred Elisha at Koka Roundabout and another suspect, Ugochukwu Adim, off DLA Road, both in Asaba, on July 22, 2025, around 9:00 a.m.
“Upon interrogation, Elisha confessed that the abduction was staged in collaboration with the so-called victim. This breakthrough led officers to the mastermind of the act, 29-year-old Merit Eleh.

“During questioning, Eleh admitted to faking her own kidnapping to extort money from her family. She confessed that her brother had given her a loan of ₦3.6 million to finance her bridal shower and hotel expenses for her March 2025 wedding,” he added.

But, unable to repay the debt, she devised the fake kidnapping scheme, according to her confession, got a ransom of ₦3 million, shared ₦500,000 with her accomplices, and kept the remaining ₦2.5 million for herself.
According to him, all suspects involved in the plot are currently cooling off in police custody while investigations are still ongoing.