The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has rescued a young woman from a suspected armed robber and ritualist at a hotel in the Wuse area of Abuja.

According to a statement by the command’s spokesperson, SP Josephine Adeh, the rescue operation was carried out after the police received a distress call from the hotel about suspicious activity in one of the rooms.

She said operatives of the command, while responding swiftly to the call, arrived at 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.”

The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) stated that the victim was found unconscious and in distress, but officers acted quickly to free her from captivity and rushed her to Wuse District Hospital, where she was revived.

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According to SP Josephine Adeh, the victim had checked into the hotel on January 30, 2025, with a man who introduced himself as Emmanuel Okoro from Lagos State.

However, during police questioning, the victim revealed that she had met the suspect online, where he went by the name Michael Prince and claimed to be an oil company employee based in Delta State.

Initially, the suspect had invited the victim to Delta, but after she declined, they arranged to meet in Abuja instead. Unfortunately, what was supposed to be a simple meeting turned into a terrifying ordeal.

The suspect reportedly brandished a dagger, using it to threaten and overpower the victim. He then restrained her by tying her hands and legs and taping her mouth shut before locking her 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.'”

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Josephine said the command has launched a full-scale search for the suspect and is working “tirelessly to ensure his immediate arrest.”

“The Commissioner of Police, FCT, CP Olatunji Disu, psc, strongly condemns this act of violence and urges residents—especially young women—to exercise caution when meeting individuals they do not know personally.

“The CP reassures the public that the FCT Police Command remains unwavering in its commitment to ensuring the safety and security of all residents,” the statement added.