AFOLABI

AFOLABI

Monday, 03 February 2025 01:00

‘Why I abandoned my newborn baby’

For most women, the first sign of pregnancy is the absence of their monthly flow, but for 36-year-old Khadijah Aliu, who was recently arrested by the FCT Police Command for abandoning her day-old baby, her monthly flow never ceased till she carried her pregnancy to term.

 

So, after a pronounced divorce, she left behind four children she had for her husband in Makarfi Village in Kaduna State, determined to survive the pains of being rejected.

 

She made her way to Mpape Area in Abuja, where she once lived with her family. But a shocker awaited her: she discovered she was pregnant shortly after arrival in the Federal Capital Territory.

 

 

With no communication with her four children or any strong means of survival, she struggled through the pregnancy, delivered the baby herself and abandoned her at a spot where she could be seen easily. However, her action led to her arrest, while the baby was rescued.

 

Khadijah explained to the Sunday Tribune on what led her to such an act. She said that she left her husband’s house with almost nothing, save the little cash she could get after he declared a divorce in line with his belief. According to her, she and her husband had a bitter quarrel, and in addition to the harsh living condition she was in, she had to leave.

 

The FCT Police Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh, in a statement, had informed the public of the recovery of a day-old baby abandoned along a bush path near Crush Rock, behind an uncompleted Red Bricks Market, Mpape. 

 

According to her, “On January 3, 2025, at about 10 am, police operatives from Mpape Division’s Juvenile and Women Care Section (JWC) responded to a distress call and found the baby wrapped in a cloth.

 

“The child was promptly rescued and taken to Mpape Primary Health Care Centre, where medical evaluation confirmed the baby is in stable condition.

 

“Following a tip-off from the community, the baby’s mother, Khadija Aliu, was arrested. During interrogation, she confessed to abandoning the baby, citing her inability to care for the child following her husband’s abandonment.”

 

The PPRO had added: “The FCT Police Command vehemently condemns this act of child abandonment and reassures the public of its commitment to protecting the most vulnerable members of society.

 

 

“The rescued baby will be handed over to the Department of Social Welfare for proper care, while the mother will face prosecution according to the provisions of sections 14 and 16 of the Child Rights Act (CRA) 2003 upon the conclusion of investigation.”

 

Khadijah told Sunday Tribune: “My father is from Gombe State while my mother is from Obubra, Cross River State. I met my ex-husband when I was living with my elder sister in Zaria, Kaduna State. We married about 12 or 13 years ago. I had four children before I gave birth to the last one that brought me into the situation I’m currently in. I was staying with my husband in his village at Makarfi, Kaduna.”

 

“I didn’t know I was pregnant even before the divorce. I was having my monthly period. We were always having problems with each other. It was an everyday quarrel and fighting, primarily because of money. He was not treating me well, and I asked him to give me my money [N9,000] with him, but he refused. I was doing menial jobs to get money to survive on.

 

“We started arguing. I tried to search his pocket if I would find money in it, but he threatened me that I would die. As my uncle-in-law’s wife called me and I turned, my man dragged and threw me off. We both fell and he was on top, he beat me and we started fighting. Other women came and rescued me from him. I stood up and he started cursing my mother. I insulted his mother in turn.

 

“He was very angry that I mentioned his mother’s name so he declared that he had divorced me. He left the house for some days. After selling my mattress and getting my money from him, I left the village for the place we were initially staying in Abuja. I left the four children I had for him because there was no way they would survive with me having nothing to feed them with. They are between three and 11 years old. 

 

“I came back to the uncompleted building we once stayed in at Mpape. It was when I got there that I knew that I was pregnant. I used to have a kind of stomach pain. I noticed it and knew that I could be pregnant.

 

“As I fetched water for workers and made little money, I went to a hospital. After going through tests, I was told that I was pregnant. I was told to register in a clinic and go for ultrasound to know how many months the pregnancy was, but I didn’t have any money. I was used to not going to ante-natal clinic because my husband gave me money to do so for only the first pregnancy. I had the three children that followed by myself, with no assistance from anyone. I was the one who would bring out the baby, cut the umbilical cord from the placenta and clean the blood before calling anyone.

 

“This time also, I went through the delivery alone. I started having labour pains on January 1. The following day, it continued. I went to fetch firewood and returned. On my way back, I felt mucous coming out of my private part. I went to my room to lie down, and the labour pain increased, but I didn’t let anyone know.

 

“I dozed off but was awakened by pain. I took my kettle to go and urinate. I went to Bacha (wooden structure) where I kept my things, put pieces of cloth on the floor and started pushing until the baby came out. It was at about 12 noon.

 

“I covered the baby and went to my room to take pieces of rags and underwear to take care of the blood flow. Thereafter, I laid down and rested. I started crying uncontrollably. I wiped my tears, went for a razor blade and thread, cut the placenta and tied the end of the umbilical cord attached to the baby.

 

 

“I covered the baby up again, went to my room to rest, and started thinking about what to do with the baby, as I had nothing. I was only getting food that would just sustain me with the pregnancy. At night, I wore a cloth for the baby, gave her warm water, breastfed her. Later, I prayed for her, put her on my back and carried her to where I heard people talking.

 

“I laid her down, with the hope that one of them would see and take care of her. She woke up and started crying. I returned to my room but could not sleep. I was just crying. I thought of going back to carry her but I thought she must have been sighted by someone so I didn’t go. I later learnt that she was found the following day.

 

“I wanted to get something to eat when I heard the discussion about a baby abandoned. Then I knew that talk don burst. One of my neighbours and another woman came to me and said they noticed I was pregnant. I burst out crying and we wanted to go for the baby, but the woman who carried her had already taken her to the police station.”

 

Khadijah showered praises on the Divisional Police Officer who directed that she should be taken care of, saying: “The police officers would boil water for me in the morning and evening to take my bath. The baby was being given milk as I could not breastfeed her. I couldn’t contact the father as I didn’t have a phone, not to talk of money for transportation. I’ve not seen the four children that are in their father’s village also.”

 

She appealed to the government to give her a chance to have the baby back, promising to do her utmost best in taking care of her.

Former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olabode George, has condemned the three-hour delay experienced by Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu when he arrived at the Lagos State House of Assembly to present the 2025 budget appropriation for passage into law.

 

The delay, orchestrated by the former Speaker, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Ajayi Obasa, was described by Chief George as “despicable.”

 

Recall that Obasa was removed from office on January 13, 2025, through a majority vote by the 40-member parliament over allegations of financial misappropriation, misconduct, and high-handedness, among others. He was replaced by his deputy, Rt. Hon. Mojisola Lasbat Meranda.

 

 

Speaking at a press conference at his Ikoyi office, Chief George emphasised that Governor Sanwo-Olu remains the leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos.

 

He questioned the rationale behind the governor being subjected to such a delay, asking, “Could he accept to go and read the budget and be delayed for three hours? Who is the leader?”

 

Chief George, who is also the Atona Oodua of Yorubaland, recalled his first and only encounter with former Speaker Obasa, describing it as pleasant and noting that Obasa had displayed Omoluabi (Yoruba virtue of respect and integrity) traits.

 

 

He said, “Why won’t they fight? The young man, former Speaker Obasa—I met him once at the airport. He came to me, greeted me with full respect, and behaved like an Omoluabi. 

 

“I asked for his name, and he said, ‘Obasa.’ I exclaimed, ‘Ah! Speaker of the State Assembly!’ I called him Omoluabi, and he thanked me for honoring him. That’s Yoruba culture.”

 

“When we got down at Heathrow Airport, he carried my suitcase and my bag for me. That was my first impression of him. But of recent, what he did was despicable.

 

The governor of the state is the leader of the party because they both belong to the same party. Could he accept to go and read the budget and be delayed for three hours? Who is the leader? No matter that we have three arms of government, who is the boss?”

 

 

Chief George also reacted to Governor Sanwo-Olu’s claim that he had no involvement in Obasa’s removal, stating that the governor should not shy away from acknowledging his role.

 

He continued, “He should have his head, his hands, and stomach there [in Obasa’s removal], unless he is not the leader of the party.

 

“Why is he afraid to say it? Could Obasa accept that attitude from anyone if he were the governor? If it were a different party, that would be a different matter entirely,” he said

The Zone 2 Police Command, Onikan, Lagos State, has rescued a baby who was sold for N1.5 million in Lagos and later recovered in Owerri, Imo State, following a crackdown on a notorious child trafficking syndicate operating across the country. 

 

The Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) in charge of the zone, Adegoke Fayoade, while addressing newsmen over the weekend disclosed that the operation was carried out through coordinated efforts with other security and government agencies. 

 

The police also arrested eight suspects and recovered four other stolen children from different locations. 

 

Represented by DCP Ajao, he identified that the eight suspects arrested as Ibezim Chioma Rita, Sunday Ochim, Sunday Okputu, Sunday Faith, Chinaza Echelibe, Ifekwuna Ngozi, Nwakuba Helen, and Bada Adeniyi.

 

According to the police, the syndicate specialised in stealing and selling newborns, toddlers, and children of different ages. Among those arrested was 22-year-old Faith Sunday, who sold her biological son.

 

Among the rescued children were one-year-old Marvellous Obi, Promise Ifekwuna, Somtochukwu Onyemaechi, Chibuzor Nma Onyemaechi, and Praise Chukwudi Ibezim. 

 

 

The police detailed how the syndicate altered the children’s identities upon sale, changing their names to conceal their origins.

 

Revealing how Marvellous Obi was taken, the police stated, “There is a case of a baby, Marvellous Obi, who is one year old but was sold to Mrs. Ibezim Chioma when he was barely a week old.” 

 

Similarly, they explained that “another case is that of one-year-old Somtochukwu Onyemaechi was painfully sold by his biological mother, 22-year-old Faith Sunday, to an unknown individual through Ibezim Chioma and the supplier, Sunday Okputu.”

 

The police further disclosed, “The baby was sold for N1,500,000 (one million five hundred thousand naira) to someone residing in Alausa, Ikeja, but was eventually recovered in Owerri, Imo State, on January 29, 2025.”

 

 

Faith Sunday, when confronted, admitted to selling her child but blamed her decision on financial hardship and her inability to provide for him. She claimed the baby’s father abandoned them, leaving her with no means of support. 

Following a close shave with death, a 59-year-old businessman, Chijioke Nnanna Igbokwe, has undergone surgery, exploratory laparotomy, to let out 57 out of 81 pellets of cocaine stuck in his stomach after seven days of ingesting the illicit substance in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

NDLEA disclosed that its operatives arrested Igbokwe at the arrival hall of Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, during the inward clearance of passengers on an Ethiopian Airlines flight on Sunday, January 26th, 2025.

 
 

‘He was promptly taken for a body scan, which revealed illicit drugs in his system.

“He was soon after taken into NDLEA custody for excretion observation.

“Investigation revealed that Igbokwe, who claims to be into cloth business at Arena, Oshodi area of Lagos, departed Lagos on January 22nd to Addis Ababa where he ingested the 81 wraps of cocaine the following day January 23rd and boarded a flight to Beirut, Lebanon to deliver the illicit consignment for a fee of $3,000.

Upon his arrival in Beirut, he said he was refused entry because he had less than $2,000, the amount required to grant him entry.

He was then deported to Addis Ababa, where he attempted to excrete the illicit drugs but could not. He thereafter proceeded to Lagos on Saturday, January 25th, with the consignment in his bowel.

“He was, however, arrested upon his arrival at the Lagos airport by NDLEA officers on January 26th.

“After five days under excretion observation, he could only expel 24 pellets following initial medical intervention at the agency’s medical facility and the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) Ikeja.

 

“With the clock ticking for him and the complication of other underlining medical conditions, the suspect was eventually admitted at the tertiary facility where he had to undergo exploratory laparotomy to extract the remaining 57 wraps of cocaine stuck in his stomach after his wife and brother endorsed the necessary consent forms on Thursday, January 30th.

‘In all, a total of 81 pellets of the Class A drug with a gross weight of 1.943 kilograms were recovered from his stomach”.

Meanwhile, NDLEA said its operatives in Lagos on Wednesday, January 29th, intercepted a consignment of 2,000 kilograms of Ghanaian Loud, a strain of cannabis produced in Ghana, at Lekki beach, where two suspects, Sunday Awoyede and Christopher Cletus, attempted loading them into a truck.

The suspects, the skunk shipment and the van, were immediately taken into custody. Another suspect, Lawal Idris Olasunkanmi, was also arrested the same day with 55kg of skunk during a raid at his base in the Mushin area of Lagos.

Across the country, NDLEA Commands and formations continued their War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, sensitization lectures and advocacy visits to worship centres, schools, workplaces, and palaces of traditional rulers and communities throughout the past week.

 

These include a WADA sensitization lecture to the students and staff of Grand Light Model School, Ata Udosung, Akwa Ibom; Community Grammar School, Iganna, Iwajowa LGA, Oyo state; Ebute Afuye Primary School, Epe, Lagos state; and Akwakuma and Girls Secondary School, Owerri, Imo state.

Others are Federal Government College, Kebbe, Sokoto state, while the Kogi state command of the Agency paid a WADA advocacy visit to Attah of Igala and HRH Mathew Opaluwa Oguche at his palace in Idah, among others.

Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) commended the officers and men of MMIA Strategic Command for their vigilance and professionalism in handling Chijioke Igbokwe’s case.

He warned those involved in the illicit drug trade that they’re not only destroying the lives of others but equally putting their own lives at significant risk.

He applauded the Lagos State Strategic Command for blocking a vast consignment of skunks from entering the country.

 

He recognized the concerted efforts of their compatriots in all the commands across the country to intensify the WADA social advocacy lectures and sensitization activities and balance the agency’s drug supply and demand reduction efforts.

A United States-based Nigerian IT expert, Clayton Udo has raised concerns over the struggles African men face in marriages abroad, particularly in the U.S.

According to Udo, many African men have been financially drained and left in dire conditions by their wives, leading some to flee or even lose their lives due to emotional and financial distress.

 

Addressing the issue, Udo stated, “A lot of people don’t understand what is going on in the story, or what is going on in this country when it comes to African men. I can tell you that a lot of men have either had to run to Mexico or Canada to escape back to the country. Men have stayed in this country and have been rendered useless; 200k, 300k, money put on their heads by African women. The African women come out on TikTok, Facebook with pictures of them and only the children smiling, with the house they took from the man and everything.”

 

He further lamented that many African men have suffered similar fates, stating that hundreds have died over the past decade due to these circumstances.

Sharing his own experience, he explained, “When I had my own divorce, you know when you are in IT, you have what is called a recruiter. My ex-wife went to each recruiter reporting me to each and every one of these recruiters, then turned around and went on to these recruiters saying she has finished her own course in IT. By the time I picked up the phone to call the recruiter, they refused to work with me, or they tell me they have now signed her up. And since there is a divorce, there is a clash of interest.”

Udo also accused some women of fabricating abuse claims to gain an advantage in legal disputes, emphasising that many African men have lost everything, including their homes and children, due to such tactics.

“What they do is lie, and that there have been verbal and physical abuse. A lot of them want to become you or be greater than you. Be careful who you are walking around with. They like you for now, that you are driving a car, and you have money, but once you bring them into the house, they want to take everything you have; they want to take and become you.”

He warned African men to be cautious in their marital choices, alleging that many women marry men only as a means to escape poverty and later strip them of their possessions.

“In her mind, she wants to climb up to get out of the poverty she has where she is coming from, she is going to take everything away from you, from your house to your children. The number of men in the U.S. African community that the women have turned their children against, secretly or openly, they are going to take your house from you, they are going to take everything from you. Most men have been reduced to nothing, even though they won’t come out to say it. They are submissive.”

Sunday Dare, special adviser to the president Bola Tinubu on media and public communication, has described the president’s political opponents as “wannabes.”

Dare said the president is not deterred by the constant barrage of criticism from the opposition.

 

This is coming days after former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, and former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, openly criticised Tinubu’s administration.

 
 

Recently, El-Rufai accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of founding principles, saying he doesn’t recognise the party the again. 

“You cannot afford to have illiterates, semi-illiterates, and cunning people as your leaders. This is why we end up with the poor leadership we have today,” he said.

In another tweet, the ex-governor, who is still a member of the party said he would criticise the APC even if he was in Tinubu’s government.

On his part, while speaking on how to take power from a sitting president, Amaechi said Tinubu and the political class would not cede power to the younger generation without a fight.

Reacting to their comments on Saturday, Dare said advised president’s “detractors” to wait for the 2027 polls to test their popularity.

“While President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of Nigeria was away in far away Dar es Salaam, capital of Tanzania, his political opponents, detractors, opposition elements, pseudo friends unfolded their Machiavellian inclinations,” he said in a post on X.

“Indeed, while the President was seeking solutions to Nigerias’ energy problems in Dar es Salaam, some “wannabes “were heating up the polity.

 

“Expectedly, it was a gathering convened to further spread ill will. Nothing new came out of the gathering different from the opposition script we are used to. A few of the participants went overboard in their vitriol, fanning the embers for adopting undemocratic actions.

“These political gladiators have antecedents that are well known. We urge Nigerians to begin their scrutiny early. And choose between political hecklers and real progressives. The clouds are beginning to clear. The stage sets soon. The combat begins.

“Until then, President Tinubu, an avowed democrat remains undistracted and unperturbed. The fight is ahead. Not now. The only conversation he wants to have now is how to improve the lives of Nigerian citizens and constructive discourse on building a resilient economy.”

Human rights lawyer, Dele Farotimi, has said the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, should have retired.

Naija News reports that Farotimi said the decision of the President Bola Tinubu-led administration to confirm his stay as the Inspector-General was against the constitutional provision.

 

In an interview with News Central, he stated that the accusation of the former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowere, was correct.

 

“Nigeria as a legal entity is full of lies and contradictions, and laws rarely matter in the country that we have built. If laws matter, the reality is that Yele is completely correct. The Inspector General of Police is illegal. He has exceeded his time in office.

 

“But what the presidency is telling you is that the law does not matter. The President has decreed and it has been as decreed. Because if it is not decreed, then it would be in accordance with the law. And what the law says is that Kayode Egbetokun should retire and should have retired.

 

“So that the President has decreed is another buggy mentality. That the decree of the President supersedes the constitution or the law in Nigeria is just another one of the many sickening realities of our existence. But that is just what it is,” he said.

 

Speaking further on his use of the word illegal, Farotimi explained that the President decided to take an action that was against the law. He added that the Police Service Commission (PSC) also confirmed that Egbetokun ought to have retired.

 

“If the President’s word is superior to the clear wordings of the law, the existential reality is that he has decreed something outside of the law and it is because he is the imperator. It does not change the fact that what he has said supersedes the law.

 

“So when the pronouncement of the President supersedes the law, the only thing you can say is that the president has issued a decree. That is the effective nature of his pronouncement. Because the Police Service Commission has not denied the fact that the man should have retired,” he added. 

Thirty passengers have been burnt to death in an auto crash that occurred in the Odigbo Local Council Area of Ondo State.

 

The incident occurred on Saturday, when two commercial buses had a head-on collision and burst into flames at the Onipetesi axis along the Ore/Lagos Expressway.

 

With 32 passengers involved in the accident, 28 were burnt beyond recognition while two survivors rescued with serious injuries died before getting to the hospital.

 

Two other passengers are still receiving treatment.

 

According to sources, the accident was caused by excessive speeding on the part of the drivers.

 

While confirming the incident, the Ondo State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Samuel Ibitoye, said a preliminary investigation showed one of the vehicles drove against traffic.

 

Ibitoye, who urged drivers to exercise caution, ensure proper vehicle maintenance and avoid reckless driving, encouraged passengers to speak out against unsafe driving practices, emphasising that road safety is a shared responsibility

An elder statesman, Usman Bugaje, has opined that the deteriorating condition of Northern Nigeria is facing serious challenges that require collective efforts to prevent total collapse.

 

He observed that the region is plagued by poverty, insecurity, and corruption, saying that nearly 60 per cent of students in tertiary institutions cannot return to school because their parents cannot afford tuition or transportation fees.

 

According to Bugaje, “For over 25 years of Nigeria’s democracy, poverty has more than doubled in the region, with over 33 million Nigerians facing starvation.”

 

 

The elder statesman explained that the country’s currency has lost significant value, as the minimum wage is no longer sufficient to purchase a bag of rice, highlighting the collapsing economy.

 

Speaking as the convener of the Arewa Movement for Good Governance Conference, themed, “The North and the Dangers Looming on the Horizon: The Need for a New Conversation and a New Narrative,” held on Saturday in Kaduna, Bugaje lamented that the North is facing serious challenges that are not being addressed.

 

He lamented, “It’s worrying and disturbing. We need to sit down and address these issues.”

 

He also lamented that insecurity has spread and escalated to previously inconceivable levels, frustrating trade, commerce, and agriculture—the mainstay of the region’s economy—adding that public institutions are decaying and failing in service delivery.

 

According to Bugaje, the state of infrastructure, particularly electricity, is epileptic, with neighboring Niger Republic appearing to be doing better.

 

He believed, “The social sector is the worst hit, as human capital is dwindling, and there are no jobs for the largely unemployable youth. In short, Nigeria is simply not working.”

 

Bugaje opined that the shameless politicians bask in false glory, reading empty speeches, embellished by a growing industry of praise singers, hangers-on, and an army of thugs, many of whom are drug users.

 

He noted that Nigerians are on a dangerous trajectory with no future to look forward to, with 20 million out-of-school children, most of whom are in the North, adding that Nigerians are sitting on a time bomb as nearly 60% of students in tertiary institutions in the North cannot return to school.

 

Bugaje also criticized the weakening of traditional institutions by political office holders, whom he described as epitomes of decadence, saying that many religious leaders have been enticed with money and drawn into a political culture dominated by violence, money politics, and the inordinate ambitions of people determined to rule by any means possible.

 

He emphasized that the primary problem of Nigeria is leadership and called for a consensus among northern elites to tackle the region’s challenges, saying that history will not forgive Nigerian elites for their failure to address the problems facing the entire country.

 

The Chairman of the Organizing Committee and former Kaduna State Commissioner for Education, Mr. Tom Maiyashi, in his remarks, observed that the North is on the verge of collapse.

 

He urged northerners to come together and save the region for the sake of future generations, saying, “Northern elites must come back to their senses and address the challenges of the region.”

The Federal Capital Territory Police Command has rescued a young woman from a suspected armed robber and ritualist. The command has also commenced a manhunt for the suspect.

This was made known in a statement shared by the FCT Police Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh, on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday.

According to the statement, the incident occurred at a hotel in the Wuse district of Abuja, where 25-year-old Promise Eze from Ebonyi State was found tied to a small chair, her mouth covered with plaster.

She was unconscious and in distress when officers arrived at the scene on January 31, 2025, following a distress call from hotel staff. The victim was rushed to Wuse District Hospital, where she regained consciousness.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the victim had checked into the hotel on January 30 with a man who identified himself as Emmanuel Okoro from Lagos State. However, she later disclosed that they had met online, where the suspect used the alias Michael Prince and claimed to be an oil company employee from Delta State.

The statement said, “The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has successfully rescued a young woman from the clutches of a suspected armed robber and ritualist, launching an immediate manhunt for the fleeing suspect.

“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 Wuse District Hospital, where she was resuscitated.

“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, but after she declined, they agreed to meet in Abuja.

“Tragically, 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.”

“Recognising the gravity of this heinous act, the FCT Police 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. He also calls on anyone with relevant information that could lead to the suspect’s arrest to immediately contact the police through the following:Emergency Lines: 08032003913. Complaint Response Unit: 08107314192”

The FCT Police Command urged residents to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activities to law enforcement authorities.