The Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Police Command says it successfully rescued a young woman from the clutches of a suspected armed robber and ritualist at an undisclosed hotel in the Wuse area of the territory.

The rescue, according to a statement by the spokesperson of the command, SP Josephine Adeh, followed a distress call from the hotel, reporting suspicious activity in one of their 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 PPRO noted that the lady was found unconscious and in distress, but the officers acted immediately, freeing her from captivity and rushing her to the Wuse District Hospital, where she was resuscitated.

Josephine explained that the victim had checked into the hotel a day earlier, on January 30, 2025, 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 as Michael Prince, claiming to be an oil company employee based in Delta State.

Initially, according to the victim, the suspect invited her to Delta, but after she declined, they agreed to meet in Abuja.

However, tragically, what was meant to be an innocent meeting turned into a harrowing ordeal.

The suspect, according to the statement, 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.'”

Josephine said the command has launched a full-scale manhunt 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.