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She informed she had no idea who had committed that robbery.

A friend of mine said this. I'm not sure if it's correct usage of the verb inform because I think it should be followed by an object (inform somebody of something)

Can the verb inform be intransitive and used in the sense of making somebody aware of something? And is it colloquial?

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Your friend is right. It needs an object.

She informed me she had no idea of etc.

Only if it comes at the end of a sentence and the context is clear:

  • We were informed [of it]. We know you had no idea about the accident.

  • We were informed that you did not know. the object is the entire clause.

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  • Would it make things better if I said: "She reported [that] she had no idea who had committed that robbery"?
    – Let
    Commented Sep 4, 2020 at 19:09
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    @Rusletov That's a valid way to phrase it, yes. The object (to whom she is reporting) should be obvious from the context. If it isn't, then the reader will probably pause and wonder who she's talking to.
    – Darth Pseudonym
    Commented Sep 4, 2020 at 19:48

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