Police free woman held hostage in Abuja hotel by online date

A 25-year-old woman, Promise Eze, was rescued by the operatives of the Federal Capital Territory Police Command after being tied up and left unconscious by a man she met on an online dating site.

The suspect, who introduced himself as Michael Prince but later identified himself as Emmanuel Okoro, is now on the run, with police launching a manhunt to ensure his swift arrest.

A statement on Sunday by the command spokesperson, Josephine Adeh, said the police received a distress call from a hotel in the Wuse area of the FCT after noticing suspicious activities in one of its rooms.

Adeh said upon arrival, officers discovered Eze tied to a small chair with her mouth covered in plaster, and lying on the floor unconscious.

She noted that Eze was immediately rushed to Wuse District Hospital, where she was resuscitated.

“On January 31, 2025, at approximately 11:30 AM, the command received a distress call from a hotel in the Wuse area of the FCT, reporting suspicious activity in one of their rooms.

“Responding swiftly, police operatives 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. She was found unconscious and in distress. Officers acted immediately, freeing her from captivity and rushing her to the Wuse District Hospital, where she was resuscitated”, the statement partly read.

Adeh said preliminary investigations revealed that Eze had checked into the hotel the previous morning, January 30, with Okoro, whom she had met online.

According to her, the suspect had presented himself as an oil company employee based in Delta State.

Adeh noted that the suspect had initially invited Eze to visit him in Delta State but she rejected it but agreed to meet him in Abuja instead.

“Preliminary investigations revealed a disturbing pattern of deception and violence. The victim had checked into the hotel a day earlier, on January 30, 2025, at about 7:00 AM, in the company of a man who identified himself as Emmanuel Okoro from Lagos State.

“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 State, but after she declined, they agreed to meet in Abuja.”

Adeh added that Eze said Okoro brandished a dagger to threaten her before tying her up and taping her mouth inside the hotel’s bathroom.

“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,’” the statement added.

Adeh said the FCT Commissioner of Police, CP Olatunji Disu, condemned the incident and advised young women about the dangers of meeting strangers online without proper caution.

He assured the public that efforts were underway to track down the suspect, urging anyone with useful information on the suspect’s whereabouts to call the command’s emergency lines.

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