The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Command, has charged hotel owners in the nation’s capital to be more vigilant and to ensure proper protection for their guests.
Commandant of NSCDC-FCT Command, Dr Olusola Odumosu, who gave the charge while parading a suspected internet fraudster, popularly called Yahoo boy, in Abuja on Friday, also warned hotel owners to ensure that their premises are not used to perpetuate crime.
Odumosu disclosed that the 30-year-old suspect, Joseph Efe, who is of Edo and Ondo origin, was arrested after coming out of a hotel premises, allegedly to meet an accomplice, while leaving his victim tied up in his hotel room.
He said the victim, Olivia Ijeoma Chukwuemeka, who hails from Abia state, was immediately rescued from the situation where she has been stripped naked, bound, hands, feet and mouth.
The Commandant, who described the way the victim was tied by her abductor as inhuman, also cautioned young ladies involved in ‘hook up’ to desist from such acts to avoid endangering their lives.
In a statement by the public relations officer of the Command,
CSC Samuel A. Idoko, Odumosu said that the suspect has confessed of being a yahoo boy, and that he has not been collecting money from the act, so he decided to hunt for young girls on a dating site called ‘coded runs’, and that he operates between Port Harcourt, Lagos, Benin and Abuja.
He continued, “Preliminary investigation reveals that the suspect, Mr Efe is a serial fraudster(yahoo) and a thief, who specialises in luring ladies on dating sites into hotel rooms with the intent to robbing them of their phones and making withdrawal from his victims bank account.
Investigation also revealed that the suspect arrived Abuja from Lagos on the 17th September, 2024 and lodged into FAB by Top Rank Hotel adjacent old Federal Secretariat, Area 1.
His first victim on arrival in Abuja was another lady he invited to his hotel room, but could not succeed in his evil act because the lady was able to put up some resistance.
The noise attracted hotel staff at the said hotel, who came into his room. He succeeded in escaping from the scene due to poor handling of the situation by the hotel security.
Upon his escape from FAB Hotel, he then proceeded to Top View Hotel where he checked in at about 2:30am of Wednesday, 18th September 2024.
He invited his latest victim who arrived at about 9am. He threatened her, putting fear in her and holding her by the throat. The frightened lady succumbed to her abductor, she was then stripped and bound
On checking the victim’s phone he discovered the lady had no money in her bank account. He then took the victim’s android phone and left the hotel room.
It was in the process of escaping from the hotel premises that his movement became suspicious, but in the process of trying to stop him, he took to his heels. He was chased and caught by NSCDC operatives.”
Odumosu said the suspect and the victim would be handed over to the relevant agency for any further necessary action, after preliminary investigation.
