Tobias Sylvester
Nigerian Police Force (NPF) have rescued an American lady who was confined in a Lagos hotel for more than a year by a Nigerian man she met on social media.
The Force Public Relations Officer, Force Headquarters, DCP Frank Mba, who disclosed this on Sunday, said the victim hails from Washington DC, USA and she is a retired civil servant in the US.
According to Mba, the American lady arrived Nigeria on 13th February, 2019, to visit one Chukwuebuka Kasi Obiaku, a 34-year old man, from Ikeduru local government area of Imo State whom she met on Facebook.
Police said investigations reveal that Obiaku is a graduate of Business Administration and Management and an internet fraudster who has defrauded many unsuspecting members of the public both locally and internationally.
He deliberately lured the victim into the country under the pretext of love and deceitfully married her on 15th May, 2019.
Obiaku subsequently held her captive in a hotel, extorted from her monies amounting to a total of 48,000-USD.
He also forcefully collected and took control of her credit and debit cards as well as the operation of her bank accounts including the receipt of her monthly retirement benefits and allowances over the period of fifteen (15) months.
Chukwuebuka also used the victim as a front to defraud her associates and other foreign personalities and companies,” Mba said.
The woman was however rescued by Police operatives attached to the Intelligence Response Team (IRT), Ogun State Annex following information received from a patriotic and civic minded Nigerian in the Meran area of Lagos State.
Police said the suspect will be charged to court on conclusion of investigation and prosecuted in line with the Cybercrime Prevention/Prohibition Act, 2015.
The rescue of the American lady is coming on the heels of a similar case of abducted Philippino lady who was lured to Nigeria by her supposed lover whom she equally met on Facebook.
