Bride Arrested in Delta State for Faking Her Own Kidnap After Spending N3.6 Million on Bridal Shower, Hotel Bills

A newlywed woman in Delta State, Merit Alice, has been arrested by the police for faking her own kidnapping in a bid to avoid repaying N3.6 million meant for a business venture. According to the Delta State Police Command, Alice, 27, orchestrated the hoax with the help of two accomplices after squandering money her brother gave her to buy a tricycle.

Police spokesperson SP Bright Edafe revealed in a video posted on X that the incident occurred on July 20. “Alice told her husband she was on her way home, only for him to later hear that she had been kidnapped,” Edafe said. Following several ransom calls, her husband and family members managed to raise and pay N3 million. The case was subsequently reported to the Special Anti-Kidnapping and Cybercrime Squad.

Investigators tracked and arrested one of the accomplices, who eventually confessed to the staged abduction and led authorities to Alice. During questioning, Alice admitted that she spent the N3.6 million on a lavish bridal shower and hotel accommodation for friends in March, rather than using it for the intended business purchase. She further disclosed that after collecting the ransom from a local POS operator, she kept N2.5 million for herself and gave the remaining N500,000 to her accomplices. She identified one of them as Peter, a former security guard at her previous workplace.

Alice expressed remorse over the incident, attributing her actions to pressure from her brother who was demanding a refund of the misused funds. The police commended the team involved in cracking the case and pledged continued efforts to combat crime in the state.