A 25-year-old woman was on Friday rescued from a suspected ritualist after she was found unconscious with her hands and legs tied to a chair and mouth taped in the bathroom of an Abuja hotel.

In a statement on Sunday, spokesperson for the Federal Capital Territory Police Command, Josephine Adeh, said the incident happened on Friday, in Wuse, adding that the suspect was at large.

“The Federal Capital Territory Police Command has successfully rescued a young woman from the clutches of a suspected armed robber and ritualist, launching an immediate manhunt for the fleeing suspect,” said Ms Adeh.

Mrs Adeh stated that the command swung into action after receiving a distress call from the hotel earlier in the day, at approximately 11:30 a.m., about a suspicious activity in one of their rooms.

She said operatives arrived the scene and “discovered a 25-year-old woman, Promise Eze, from Ebonyi State, tied to a small chair with her mouth covered in plaster. She added, “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.”

Stating that preliminary investigation revealed that the case was a disturbing pattern of deception and violence, the command, in the statement noted that the victim had checked into the hotel on Thursday at 7am with a man who identified himself as Emmanuel Okoro from Lagos State.

The statement indicated, “However, during police questioning, the victim disclosed that she had met the suspect online, where he introduced himself under the alias Michael Prince, claiming to be an oil company employee based in Delta State. Initially, he invited her to Delta, but after she declined, they agreed to meet in Abuja. Tragically, what was meant to be an innocent meeting turned into a harrowing ordeal. The suspect allegedly brandished a dagger, using it to threaten and subdue the victim before restraining her by tying her hands and legs and taping her mouth shut inside the bathroom. He then fled the scene, stealing her two mobile phones. 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.”

Assuring that a full-scale manhunt for the fleeing suspect had been launched to ensure his immediate arrest, the FCT Commissioner of Police, Olatunji Disu, condemned the violent act and urged residents, especially young women, to be cautious when meeting individuals they do not know personally.

He also called on anyone with relevant information that could lead to the suspect’s arrest to immediately contact the police through mobile number 08032003913 and  08107314192.

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