Promise Eze, a 25-year-old woman, was rescued by Federal Capital Territory Police Command officers after being tied up and rendered unconscious by a man she met on an online dating site.
The suspect, who initially identified himself as Michael Prince but later changed his name to Emmanuel Okoro, is now on the run, with police conducting a manhunt to apprehend him as soon as possible.
According to a statement issued on Sunday by the command spokesperson, Josephine Adeh, police got a distress call from a hotel in the FCT’s Wuse district after observing unusual activity in one of its rooms.
Adeh stated that when officers arrived, they saw Eze tied to a little chair, her mouth covered with plaster, and asleep on the floor.
She mentioned 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 stated that preliminary investigations revealed that Eze had booked into the hotel the previous morning, January 30, with Okoro, whom she met online.
According to her, the guy identified himself as an oil business employee stationed in Delta State.
Adeh stated that the suspect had initially invited Eze to see him in Delta State, but she declined and decided 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 stated that the FCT Commissioner of Police, CP Olatunji Disu, denounced the event and warned young ladies about the hazards of contacting strangers online without due caution.
He assured the public that attempts were being made to locate the culprit and urged anyone with information on his whereabouts to contact the command’s emergency lines.
