I faked my kidnapping to get money to offset debt – Suspect

A housewife, Mrs. Success Adaniken, who faked her own kidnapping and demanded a ransom of N5 million from her husband, has confessed that she staged the abduction due to pressure from her debtors.

Her husband, Mr. Adaniken, eventually paid N2m after negotiations, but the police later uncovered the deception and arrested her alongside two accomplices — Chidozie Martins and Godfrey Osita.

The heavily pregnant woman, who runs a drink shop, said she owed two people a total of N1.4m and was overwhelmed by the pressure to repay them.

She explained that she was duped by members of a thrift contribution group (ajo) she belonged to, who disappeared with her money when it was her turn to collect.

“After they ran away with my money, I begged my husband to help me pay back the debt, but he said he didn’t have the money — even though I knew he did,” she said.

“So, when I couldn’t get the money, I decided to kidnap myself to get it from him. Before I was arrested, I didn’t know it was a serious crime. I only wanted to free myself from the pressure of my debt.”

Mrs. Adaniken said the idea came to her on October 24 after she failed to raise the money she owed. She confided in her relative, Godfrey, who initially warned her against the plan, fearing it might backfire.

“But I decided to go ahead since it was my husband who would pay the ransom. I didn’t know it was a big crime before I did it,” she said.

“I only needed N2m, but I demanded N5m because I knew he would negotiate down to N2m.”

She said she later discussed the plan with her neighbour, Martins, who runs a shop beside hers. Although he initially objected, he later agreed to help.

According to her, she lodged in a hotel in the GRA area with her three-year-old son, while Martins acted as her “kidnapper” and contacted her husband.

“He wasn’t with me in the hotel. He only came when it was time to make the call and left afterward,” she explained.

Her brother, Godfrey, who was aware of the plan, was not physically present at the hotel.

Mrs. Adaniken said she stayed in the hotel for three days, during which her husband paid N2m on October 29. After the ransom was paid, she called him to pick her up at a location in Egor.

However, her plan unraveled when she was later invited by the police to write a statement, unaware that her accomplices had already been arrested.

“I didn’t know my brother had been arrested the night I was released,” she said. “It was when I got to the station that I found out he had told the police everything, and that was how I was arrested.”

Mrs. Adaniken, who expressed deep remorse, pleaded with her husband to forgive her for the act.

“I am ashamed of myself. I have begged my husband to forgive me. I don’t want to go to jail because of our children. It didn’t occur to me that I was committing a serious crime. I just wanted to clear my debt and have peace of mind,” she said.