A 21-year-old man, Junior Izuchukwu, has narrated how he was allegedly detained, starved and subjected to severe torture after he declined participation in an internet fraud scheme he was reportedly recruited for in Enugu State.
His account emerged after three young men reportedly escaped from a residential building in Enugu where they had allegedly been held under harsh conditions for weeks following their arrival from Ebonyi State under the guise of legitimate employment.
The victims—identified as Joseph Ibangwu, Izuchukwu and Miracle Tochukwu—were said to have been lured with promises of decent jobs in Enugu, only to find themselves trapped in what residents later described as a suspected cybercrime training operation.
The case reportedly came to light on June 11, 2026, when the trio managed to flee a building within Helius Estate along the Enugu–Port Harcourt Expressway, where they cried out for help, attracting the attention of residents.
Eyewitnesses said the young men appeared visibly malnourished and weak, with injuries and marks allegedly linked to repeated assaults during their confinement. Alarmed by their condition, residents immediately alerted security operatives within the estate.
A suspect linked to the incident was subsequently arrested and handed over to operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), before the matter was transferred to the Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the Enugu State Police Command for further investigation.
In a recorded video obtained by our correspondent, Izuchukwu gave a detailed account of how the alleged recruitment began, saying he and others were promised employment opportunities in Enugu.
He explained that they were picked up after being contacted in Ebonyi State and transported to the alleged recruiter’s residence, where they were introduced to laptop-based work that later turned out to be fraudulent in nature.
According to him, trouble began after he expressed unwillingness to continue with the activities and demanded to leave, an action he said was met with violent punishment.
He alleged that he was repeatedly assaulted and held against his will after being told he would only be released upon payment of a large sum of money, which he could not afford.
Izuchukwu further claimed that the victims were subjected to strict confinement, with limited feeding and constant monitoring under what he described as a heavily controlled environment.
He said their eventual escape was made possible when one of the captives discovered a way out of the building and fled, prompting the others to follow in fear of being caught.
The escaped victims are currently receiving medical attention at an undisclosed health facility.
Meanwhile, a human rights group, the Civil Rights Realisation and Advancement Network, has called for swift prosecution of those involved, describing the alleged incident as inhumane and unacceptable.
The group, in a petition addressed to the Enugu State Government, urged authorities to ensure accountability and prevent a recurrence of similar cases.
Efforts to obtain official reaction from the Enugu State Police Command were unsuccessful as its spokesperson did not respond to inquiries at the time of filing this report, while the NSCDC confirmed awareness of the incident but declined to provide further details.
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