A 23-year-old man, Victor Oreba Nwite, has been arraigned before an Enugu Magistrate Court over the alleged abduction, unlawful detention and torture of three young men who were reportedly held captive for more than three months and forced into internet fraud.
Nwite was arraigned before Chief Magistrate U.M. Ozoeze-Ozobu on a six-count charge filed by the Enugu State Police Command, bordering on unlawful confinement and assault.
According to the charge sheet, the defendant allegedly detained the three victims—identified as Izuchukwu Nnome, Joseph Alaka and Miracle Tochukwu—between March and June 2026 at an apartment in Heliu Estate, Independence Layout, Enugu, contrary to Section 316 of the Criminal Code of Enugu State.
The prosecution also accused him of repeatedly assaulting the victims, allegedly inflicting injuries on their heads and backs in violation of Section 258 of the Criminal Code.
The arraignment follows the victims’ dramatic escape from the apartment on June 11 after spending more than three months in captivity.
The Civil Rights Realisation and Advancement Network, which petitioned the Enugu State Government over the matter, commended Governor Peter Mbah for facilitating police action that culminated in the suspect’s prosecution.
In a statement signed by its President, Olu Omotayo, the group said the governor’s intervention ensured that the case was not abandoned.
“We commend your urgent intervention through the office of the Chief Security Officer to the Governor,” the statement read.
“The residents of the estate and every citizen who believe in the rule of law are happy that the matter was not swept under the carpet but that the machinery of justice was activated to bring the suspect before the court.”
The rights group said the victims escaped from the apartment on June 11 and were rescued by residents, who handed them over to officials of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps before the matter was transferred to the police for investigation.
It urged the Enugu State Ministry of Justice to ensure diligent prosecution of the case.
The arraignment came weeks after investigators reportedly obtained a video confession in which the suspect admitted operating an internet fraud syndicate.
According to police investigators, Nwite allegedly confessed that he recruited young men to participate in internet fraud schemes commonly known as “Yahoo Yahoo.”
“I won’t lie to you, I needed boys,” he allegedly told investigators when asked why he brought the young men to his residence.
When further questioned, he reportedly replied, “For Yahoo, sir,” adding that the syndicate specialised in impersonating military personnel online to defraud foreign victims.
The alleged confession appeared to support the accounts of the victims, who claimed they were lured from Ebonyi State with promises of legitimate employment.
One of the victims alleged that upon arrival at the suspect’s residence, he was handed a laptop and instructed to engage in online fraud.
The victims further claimed that after refusing to participate in the scheme, they were subjected to repeated beatings with canes, electric cables, iron rods and mop sticks, fed only once daily and kept under constant surveillance inside the apartment.
One of them also alleged that when he demanded to leave after discovering the true nature of the job, the suspect insisted he must pay N300,000 before regaining his freedom.
The police investigation into the allegations is ongoing, while the court is expected to continue hearing the case on a date to be communicated by the court.
