In a twist that sounds like a movie plot, 29-year-old newlywed Merit Eleh has been arrested in Asaba, Delta State, after allegedly staging her own kidnapping to raise money to repay a N3.6 million loan she had taken to fund her bridal shower just four months ago.
The bizarre drama began on July 21, 2025, when Eleh was reported missing, supposedly abducted by unknown gunmen in the Bonsaac area of Asaba. Her worried family promptly contacted the police.
Responding to the distress call, the Commissioner of Police, CP Olufemi Abaniwonda, assigned the Special Anti-Kidnapping and Cyber Crime Squad, led by CSP Godwin Osadolor, to track down and rescue the ‘victim’.
What followed was a swift, intelligence-led operation that led to the arrest of two men: Alfred Elisha, picked up at the Koka Roundabout in Asaba, and Ugochukwu Adim, arrested off DLA Road the next morning.
However, the story took an unexpected turn when one of the suspects confessed that there had been no actual kidnapping at all. Instead, it had been a staged plot planned together with Eleh.
During police interrogation, Eleh admitted she masterminded the fake abduction to demand a N3 million ransom from her family. She handed N500,000 to her accomplices while keeping N2.5 million for herself—money she intended to use to settle her debt to her brother, who had lent her N3.6 million earlier this year for her lavish bridal shower and hotel accommodation for her March 2025 wedding.
“All suspects involved have been arrested and the investigation is ongoing,” confirmed Delta State Police spokesperson SP Bright Edafe, adding that charges would follow once investigations conclude.
The case has since sparked heated discussions online, with many questioning the pressures of wedding expenses and the extreme lengths some might go to cover them.
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