A suspected cyber fraudster, Precious Mayor, and three accomplices identified as Prince Afam, Israel Simon and Emmanuela Mayor have been arrested for alleged hostage-taking at Oreyo, the Igbogbo area of Ikorodu, Lagos State.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Sp Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed the development.
“The victims were tortured and deprived of their freedom. The arrested suspects have been moved to the State Criminal Investigation Department,” he said.
PUNCH Metro gathered that the suspects had accommodated three male adults identified as Ejika Ozor, 22; Emeka Ukegbu, 20; and Solomon Uche, 19, who came from Imo State to learn cyber fraud.
At the commencement of their apprenticeship, the men were locked indoors and given a target to learn and know how to defraud unsuspecting victims.
After failing to get results after some days into their training, the victims were beaten and subjected to different forms of torture every day by their hosts.
Frustrated by the style of learning, the three male adults who had been deprived of stepping out of the house since they arrived devised a means to escape.
A resident in the area said they were apprehended by local vigilantes on Monday, August 25, after being caught scaling the fence of the house where they were held.
He said, “The three boys came to the area about three weeks ago. We rarely see them since they arrived until Monday around 3pm when they were seen climbing the fence from their compound. Some residents who saw them initially thought they were thieves and decided to alert the local security.
“It was when they were arrested and interrogated that we discovered that they have been locked up in the house. Different marks were also seen on their bodies which showed they were severely tortured. The local security later handed them over to the police.”
