THE Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has rescued a 25-year-old lady, Promise Eze, from a suspected ritualist and armed robber at an hotel in the Wuse area of Abuja......CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>.....CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>
The command said it had launched a manhunt for the fleeing suspect.
The FCT police public relations officer, Josephine Adeh, a superintendent of police, disclosed this in a statement shared on X on Sunday.
According to the statement, Promise Eze, from Ebonyi State, was found on Friday, January 31, tied to a chair, and her mouth sealed with plaster.
“She was found unconscious and in distress. Officers acted immediately, freeing her from captivity and rushing her to Wuse District Hospital, where she was resuscitated,” the police said.
Eze had checked into the hotel on January 30 with a man who introduced himself as Emmanuel Okoro from Lagos State.
Further investigations revealed that she had met the suspect online, where he introduced himself as Michael Prince and claimed to be an oil company worker based in Delta State. After she declined his invitation to Delta, they agreed to meet in Abuja.
The police disclosed that what was initially meant to be a harmless meeting metamorphosed into a traumatic experience for the victim.
The suspect allegedly brandished a dagger, used it to threaten and subdue Eze. He tied her hands and legs.
He also taped her mouth. He then left the hotel with her two mobile phones in preparation for how to “finish the job.”
The police added, “Alarmingly, before escaping, the victim overheard him speaking to suspected accomplices over the phone, informing them that he was on his way to regroup before returning to the hotel to finish the job.”
The police assured the public that efforts were ongoing to track down and apprehend the suspect.
The FCT commissioner of police, Olatunji Disu, was quoted as strongly condemning the incident and cautioning residents, particularly young women, against meeting strangers without taking necessary precautions.
He reiterated the command’s commitment to public safety and urged anyone with useful information about the suspect’s whereabouts to report it to the police.
The police urged residents to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activities to law enforcement authorities.
The ICIR reports that the incident adds to a chain of such crime in Nigeria’s capital.
A similar disturbing incident occurred in a hotel in the Wuse area of Abuja in 2024, where a man was apprehended for allegedly attempting to kill a lady for ritual purposes.
The man had reportedly tied the lady’s hands and legs but was caught and forced to loosen her.
Earlier in January this year, The ICIR reported how Eliojo Salomey, a 24-year-old serving National Youth Service Corp (NYSC) member based in Mararaba, a fast-growing community near Abuja, was allegedly butchered by her boyfriend, a gospel singer, Timileyin Ajayi.
Similarly, in July 2024, a young man, Nuhu Ezra, was arrested by the FCT Police Command for being in possession of a human skull and bones.
According to the command, he had picked up the human skull and bones in a bush to sell for N600,000.
The ICIR reported that there had been a growing challenge of violent crimes in Abuja.
According to the FCT police commissioner, the command dealt with a significant number of crimes, including 104 kidnappings and 268 armed robberies cases in the nation’s capital in 2024.