The married woman arrested by the Edo state police command for allegedly staging her own kidnapping, Oluchi Ugbowan, has broken her silence on the incident.
The 45-year-old was tracked by the police to a hotel room in Delta where she lodged with her boyfriend, and subsequently taken into custody for allegedly faking her abduction.
Before her arrest, Ugbowan’s family had raised an alarm over her disappearance and appealed for a reduction in the N50 million ransom demanded by the supposed kidnappers.
Eno Ikoedem, the Edo state police command spokesperson, shared a video on Facebook showing Ugbowan and other suspects being paraded.
Speaking in the video, Ugbowan insisted no one kidnapped her and that she went into hiding willingly due to debts she owed.
“I was not kidnapped, but I went into hiding,” she said.
“Two days later, I called him (Israel Ability) again. He said the matter had escalated and asked how much they (my family) had in hand. They said N3.5 million. I said, ‘Let’s manage it.’ They said they wanted to add to the money, but it was reduced to N20 million.
“I told him (Ability) it was too much. If we had N5 million, we would be fine. I could pay off the debt because we had agreed on one week. We acted it out as a drama.
“So I approached these children (Ability and his younger brother). He came with his younger brother. I told them I wanted to stage a drama that would look like a kidnapping.”
Ugbowan said she suggested using a cutlass to threaten her in a video that would be sent to her family members.
She added that while discussing how to tie her hands and legs, she learnt that Ability’s father owned a gun and decided it would make the video appear more convincing.
“I told them to put the cutlass on my neck and said, ‘Say your last prayer.’ So when we were discussing it, the children said their father had a gun, but the father was not around. I asked if there were any bullets, but they said there were none. I said, ‘If you have a gun, go and bring it. It’s better’,” she said.
“So they went inside and brought the gun. I told them to put it on my neck and said, ‘Say your last prayer.’ It was inside the room that we acted it out. I was the one who tied my hands. My mindset was that if they saw stronger evidence, they would come up with a better negotiation.
“That was not my intention. It was the debt that was weighing heavily on me. They can ask people, even LAPO came to my place that day (the day I went missing), and that was what motivated me. I said, ‘Let me just do this and see how much I will get.’”
Also speaking in the video, Ability said he agreed to assist Ugbowan after she repeatedly begged him to participate in the scheme.
The 28-year-old said he purchased the SIM card used for the ransom calls and handled several other arrangements connected to the plan.
“We had an agreement where she came to me and said if I could help her with some plans. She told me about the plans, and I said, “Okay, fine.”,” he said.
“After so much pressure and begging, I said, “Okay, no problem.” Because, before that day, she had told me her plan to go and hide. And I said okay, no problem, fine, if that is the case. So I got the SIM card, and then she told me to go to a bar and wait for her so we could go to a hotel to start the call.
“She is very popular in Agbor. We took a bike, and the bike man took us to a nearby hotel. When we got there, she gave me money, and I paid the hotel fees. When we got there, we inserted the SIM card into her phone and used it to make the call.
“She said I should call her husband directly to ask for money. I just said N50 million, and that was what I requested from the man. I think it was a Thursday when the police caught me.
“I just feel bad because I thought I was even trying to help her. I have landed myself in a big mess. We actually did not bargain. We did not bargain for anything, no percentage. But I wanted to help her, and surely I knew that something would come out of it for me.
“I was told church drama.”
Chinedu Chibuzor, Ability’s 18-year-old younger brother, said he took part because he was told the exercise was for a church drama.
“I do not know Madam Oluchi. I was the one who pointed a gun at her head and told her to say her last prayer. She said she wanted to perform a drama in the church. My father owned the gun,” he said.
Police also paraded Ability’s father, who confirmed ownership of the gun featured in the video sent to Ugbowan’s family. He said the firearm was purchased by his family to support his work as a vigilante, adding that it was not licensed.
“It’s my gun. My family bought it for me, and it was not licensed. The video was recorded in my house. They are my children. I know Madam Oluchi through my wife,” he said.
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