A married woman, simply identified as Oluchi, has been tracked to a hotel in Delta State after she faked her abduction and demanded N50m from her family.

According to reports, the children of the woman, including her daughter who is based in Canada, had pleaded with the public to help them raise money, even as the kidnappers reduced the ransom to N20m.

They had told the police that their mother was kidnapped at the Ikpoba Hill area of Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area of Edo State.

It was gathered that a police investigation led its crack team to Delta State, where the supposedly kidnapped woman was found with her lover in a hotel.

According to reports, a source who pleaded anonymity, said, “Police traced the number of the man to a hotel in Ubiaroko, Delta State.

“They met the man and the kidnapped woman inside a hotel. They called the husband, and he was happy. It was at the station that the police broke the news to him. The wife begged the husband not to tell her children what actually transpired.”

Also, in an online video, the woman’s daughter, Anita, who is based in Canada, said her mum’s action had shattered the family.

She vowed that the family would allow the law to take its course.

According to her, “My mum has been released. She is involved in this kidnapping case. I only did what I did to save my mom. The family is in shock. This is not right. This has shattered my family. My dad has some health issues. This is so unfortunate. What did I do wrong?

“My reputation has been ruined. I am short of words. I am so mad. I have no hand in this. I never knew. I only wanted my mother back home. The law will take its course. I am sorry this is happening. I only did what any daughter would do. My family has been shattered.

“We were told that my mum has been released. We didn’t pay the kidnappers. The money is intact. We are going to make a refund. We involved the police from the beginning.

“We now know it was not a real kidnapping. They said my mom is involved. They are having a relationship. The guy was traced. They had agreed to take what we already raised to N20m.”

The Harmony Ladies Club, a social club Anita belongs to, in a statement on its WhatsApp group forwarded to journalists, dissociated itself from the staged kidnapping.

It expressed deep disappointment, shock, and embarrassment at Mrs Oluchi’s actions.

The statement read, “When news of her alleged abduction broke, the club acted swiftly in good faith. Out of sisterhood, love, and a sense of community responsibility, we rallied immediately.

“Our members provided extensive emotional, logistical, and financial support during what we believed was a life-threatening crisis, carrying the heavy burden of anxiety alongside her family.

“It is with a profound sense of betrayal that we have now discovered, through investigations, that the entire kidnapping incident was staged by Mrs Oluchi herself.”

The spokesperson for the state command, Eno Ikoedem, confirmed the incident and said four persons had been arrested in connection with it.

“I can confirm the incident and also let you know that four people have been arrested in connection with the incident,” she stated.

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted huge quantities of illicit drugs, while arresting several suspects in coordinated operations across multiple states, as part of a nationwide crackdown.

Femi Babafemi, NDLEA spokesperson, in a statement on Sunday, said operatives  intercepted large consignments of opioids concealed in a truck carrying building materials from Anambra to Taraba state.

The truck was intercepted at Nukkai Timber Shade in Jalingo on June 6 following intelligence reports.

A search of the vehicle led to the discovery of 320,840 capsules of tramadol, 600 ampoules of pentazocine injection, 4,500 rohypnol tablets and 299 bottles of codeine-based cough syrup concealed beneath the cargo.

One Buhari Abdullahi, a 22-year-old suspect, was subsequently arrested in connection with the seizure.

In Ebonyi state, NDLEA said its operatives arrested a 75-year-old grandfather identified as Okebe Samuel at Okposi, and recovered 300 grammes of skunk from him.

The agency said the suspect sold the substance in retail sachets to young people in the community.

NDLEA also reported the arrest of  Chioma Okeke, a 32-year-old woman, during a raid on a drug enclave in Umulolo, Orlu, Imo state, where officers recovered eight kilogrammes of skunk.

It added that the agency arrested four suspected traffickers, including three women, during operations at identified drug hotspots in Benin City, Edo state, on June 2.

The suspects were identified as Chioma Igba, 24; Precious Ozomah, 22; Anita Abraham, 21; and Henry Okey, 43.

According to the agency, various quantities of skunk, loud, methamphetamine, lolorado and swinol were recovered from the suspects.

In Kano state, NDLEA operatives arrested 19-year-old Saifullahi Lawan at Kafi area of Madobi on June 4 with 40 blocks of skunk weighing 38 kilogrammes.

The agency also said operatives in Gombe arrested 28-year-old Ugwu Sabastine Ifebuchi near Dantiti Plaza in the Tumfure area of the state on June 1 with 15,000 capsules of tramadol.

Beyond enforcement operations, NDLEA said it continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaign in schools across the country, including institutions in Oyo, Lagos, Anambra and Kano states.

Buba Marwa, chairman and chief executive officer of NDLEA, commended officers involved in the operations and reiterated the agency’s commitment to disrupting drug supply networks nationwide.

Marwa said the agency would continue to target drug traffickers regardless of age, gender or methods used to conceal illicit substances.

The abductors of retired Major General Rabe Abubakar, former Director of Defence Information, and his wife has released a video of the couple in captivity.

It would be recalled that the couple were abducted along the Marabar Musawa–Kafinsoli road in Matazu Local Government Area of Katsina State, near Zakin Baure village.

In the four-minute video circulated on social media on Saturday, the wife of the retired general was seen conveying the abductors’ demands.

The demands included the release of three of their members identified as Sani, Aminu and Nasiru, as well as the return of livestock allegedly seized from them.

According to her account, two of the detained individuals were arrested in Jikamshi while the third was arrested in Kano.

She also appealed to the Katsina State Government and leaders of five local government areas to facilitate compliance with the demands to secure their release.

The retired general, who spoke briefly in the video, called for efforts to ensure peace, adding that the abductors had expressed interest in dialogue and peaceful coexistence.

The notorious bandit leader, Kachallah Muhammad, who operates in parts of Katsina State, had reportedly established communication with the family of the retired general, according to a report by Daily Trust.