The Enugu State Police Command has clarified the details surrounding a viral video that sparked rumours of organ harvesting at a hotel in the state.
News About Nigeria reported that the video, which surfaced on X.com on Sunday, shows two women being rescued from a hotel room amid allegations of a plot to steal their organs.
In the video, one of the women claimed that men armed with guns had held them captive.
The other woman was reportedly rescued after attempting to escape through a window when the suspects momentarily left the room.
However, in a press release shared on X.com on Monday, the command’s spokesperson, DSP Daniel Ndukwe, debunked these claims.
Ndukwe explained that preliminary investigations revealed the incident was a case of extortion and fraud, not attempted murder or organ harvesting.
“The Enugu State Police Command has intercepted a viral video showing two ladies alleged to have been rescued from a hotel room in Enugu, where they were tied up in an attempt to harvest their organs by two young men. The Command wishes to state that, contrary to the misleading narrative, preliminary investigation revealed a case of demanding money with menaces and fraud, not murder or organ harvesting as being peddled,” the statement read.
The women, identified as commercial sex workers, met the suspects at a hotel on Agbani Road, Enugu, on July 3rd. They returned to the same hotel the following day, where the men allegedly threatened, beat, and tied them up.
“At the hotel, the suspects beat and tied up the girls in the hotel’s room toilet after menacingly demanding and obtaining their phones and account details, including their Personal Identification Numbers (PINs). They surreptitiously found their way out of the hotel before the victims were rescued, as seen in the video. They further fraudulently withdrew a cumulative sum of one hundred and twenty thousand naira (₦120,000.00) from the victims’ accounts,” the statement added.
The police recovered a bag containing two kitchen knives and sportswear left behind by the suspects and have launched an investigation to apprehend the fleeing individuals.
In response to this incident, the police have cautioned young women against going out with strangers, particularly males, to avoid falling prey to similar criminal activities.
The police also implored hotel owners and managers to maintain high-security standards and thoroughly screen lodgers, ensuring their verifiable details are obtained before accommodation is provided.
