Police operatives have successfully rescued an American citizen who was confined in a Lagos hotel where she was held against her wish for over a year.
The victim, who hails from Washington DC, USA and is a retired civil servant in the US, arrived Nigeria on February 13, 2019 on a visit to one Chukwuebuka Kasi Obiaku, 34 years old, a native of Ikeduru LGA of Imo State, whom she met on Facebook, according to a statement issued on Sunday by Frank Mba (DCP), Force Public Relations Officer.
“She was, however, rescued by police operatives attached to the Intelligence Response Team (IRT), Ogun State Annex, following information received from a patriotic and civic-minded Nigerian in the Meran area of Lagos State,” Mba said in the statement.
The statement said the rescue of the American lady is coming on the heels of a similar case of abducted Filipino lady who was lured to Nigeria by her supposed lover whom she equally met on Facebook.
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“Investigations reveal that the suspect, Chukwuebuka Kasi Obiaku, is a graduate of Business Administration and Management and an internet fraudster who has defrauded many unsuspecting members of the public both locally and internationally,” the statement said.
It said Chukwuebuka Obiaku deliberately lured the victim into the country under the pretext of love and deceitfully married her on May 15, 2019. He subsequently held her captive in a hotel and extorted from her monies amounting to a total of $48,000.
“He also forcefully collected and took control of her credit and debit cards as well as the operation of her bank accounts including the receipt of her monthly retirement benefits and allowances over the period of fifteen (15) months,” the police said.
Mba said further that Chukwuebuka Obiaku also used the victim as a front to defraud her associates and other foreign personalities and companies.
He said in the statement that Obiaku and three other suspects arrested for cyber-related offences, including advance fee fraud, money laundering and romance scam, would be “charged to court on conclusion of investigation and prosecuted in line with the Cybercrime Prevention/Prohibition Act, 2015”.
