Police confirm arrest of suspect over female victim held captive in hotel

The Nigeria Police Force has confirmed a suspected kidnap case involving a man identified as Alex, who allegedly held a lady captive in a hotel room in Abuja.

It is not immediately clear how long the victim, whose legs and hands were tied, was held captive at the hotel.

The incident reportedly took place in a room at the Top View Hotel, Wuse, Abuja, on 17 September.

Hotel staff members reportedly busted the room after they heard the screams of the woman.

The incident only became public knowledge when a video clip of her rescue went viral.

Reacting in a statement released on Thursday, Josephine Adeh, the spokesperson for the FCT Police Command, Abuja, confirmed in that the incident happened on 17 September at Top View Hotel in Wuse, Abuja.

She said the victim “was criminally confined” in the hotel by “an alleged Internet fraudster allegedly for money ritual.”

“Findings revealed that the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has taken the suspect into custody and are yet to hand over to the police for diligent investigation,” the police spokesperson stated.

She added that the FCT police command “for all intent and purposes awaits the NSCDC to hand over all parties for commencement of diligent and discreet investigation.”

“Further development will be communicated in due course,” she also stated.

In a viral video apparently recorded moments after hotel staff busted into the room where the survivor was kept, which was viewed by our reporter on X, she was seen seated in a chair, softly whimpering while covering her upper body with a purple cloth. She appeared to be naked when the room was busted.

The suspect, who identified himself as Alex, was shown in the one-minute, eleven-second clip removing something that appeared like an adhesive tape used to bind the victim’s legs.

Throughout the video, disembodied voices from people in the room, not captured on camera, hurled a barrage of questions at him. The man with shiny hair that appears relaxed and slicked to the scalp responded only with his name and slightly lifted his head when asked to show his face to the camera.