A suspected internet fraudster, commonly referred to as a “Yahoo boy,” has been apprehended in Abuja after a failed attempt to rob a woman he met on a dating app.
The suspect, Joseph Efe, who is 30 years old, tied his victim, Olivia Ijeoma Chukwuemeka, inside a hotel room, leaving her bound and gagged.
In a disturbing confession, Efe admitted to reporters that his plan was not to kill her but to rob her.
However, his victim claims that he threatened her with death and even implied that she could suffer the same fate as other girls he had killed in the past.
Speaking during an interview after his arrest, Efe said he started his criminal activities just a month ago.
In that short time, he claimed to have made over N500,000 through fraudulent means.
He explained that no one introduced him to the Yahoo business; he ventured into it on his own.
Efe detailed how he met his victim on a hookup app known as Coded Runs, where they agreed on a payment of N100,000 for her services.
They arranged to meet at Top View Hotel in Zone 5, Abuja.
When Olivia arrived at the hotel, Efe tied her hands and legs with white tape and stuffed her mouth with a handkerchief.
After securing her, he demanded access to her phone and attempted to withdraw money from her Opay account.
To his frustration, Olivia’s account had no money, leaving him empty-handed.
Out of anger and desperation, Efe locked Olivia inside the hotel room and attempted to escape.
But luck was not on his side.
Officers from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) apprehended him before he could flee the scene.
The victim, 25-year-old Olivia Ijeoma Chukwuemeka, hailing from Abia State, shared her harrowing experience after the ordeal.
According to Olivia, when she first arrived at the hotel room, Efe asked her if she was afraid of death.
He then threatened her, claiming that if she didn’t cooperate, she would end up like the other girls he had allegedly killed.
In an earlier briefing with journalists, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Commandant of the NSCDC, Dr. Olusola Odumosu, revealed disturbing details about the suspect.
Upon interrogation, Efe confessed that he had been engaging in internet fraud, but it had not been profitable.
Frustrated by his lack of success, he turned to dating apps like *Coded Runs* to lure young women into hotel rooms with the intent to rob them.
“He operates from Port Harcourt, Lagos, Benin, and Abuja,” Dr. Odumosu said.
Odumosu explained that this was not Efe’s first attempt.
Earlier, Efe had invited another woman to a hotel room upon his arrival in Abuja, but she resisted his attempts to subdue her.
The commotion alerted the hotel staff, and while they intervened, Efe managed to escape due to the poor handling of the situation by hotel security.
After his escape from FAB Hotel, Efe checked into Top View Hotel in Zone 5, where he planned his next attack.
According to the investigation, Efe arrived in Abuja from Lagos on September 17, 2024, and checked into FAB Hotel.
He invited his first victim there but failed to carry out his plan.
Efe’s second attempt, however, resulted in the terrifying ordeal for Olivia, which took place on September 18, 2024.
“He invited his latest victim to the hotel room around 9am,” Odumosu said.
In the room, Efe threatened her, grabbed her by the throat, and instilled fear in her until she complied with his demands.
Olivia, in shock and fear for her life, was forced to cooperate.
But when Efe discovered that her bank account was empty, he took her phone and left the room.
It was during his attempted escape from the hotel that the staff became suspicious, leading to his eventual capture by NSCDC operatives.
Dr. Odumosu took the opportunity to issue a stern warning to hotel operators.
He urged them to enhance their security measures to protect their guests from criminals using hotels as crime scenes.
He advised hotel management to install protective devices to prevent such incidents in the future.
“The command wants to use this medium to warn all hotel owners to be more vigilant,” Odumosu said.
“They should do more to protect their guests and hotel facilities and ensure their premises are not used as a place to perpetrate crime.”
He also warned young women to be cautious about the people they meet and interact with online, advising them to be wary of potential dangers when meeting strangers.
Videos of the incident, showing Olivia tied and gagged in the hotel room, went viral on social media earlier this week, sparking widespread outrage and concern.
The disturbing footage highlighted the increasing danger women face when interacting with strangers online, particularly on dating and hookup platforms.
