A Facebook rendezvous, a deal that took place in the middle of the bush, and a chilling threat with a private video. These are among claims trailing a 30-year-old man apprehended by the police in Enugu State for suspected rape, robbery and sextortion of female victims.
The Enugu State Police Command is investigating a suspect, named as Ugbor Chika Paul, in connection with a series of occurrences involving three women including two Point-of-Sale operators and another woman who apparently met him through social media.
The police’s preliminary investigation indicated that the suspect targeted female POS operators, stating he needed their services. He would allegedly arrange meetings with them in distant spots where he would rob and sexually attack them.
The first instance recorded was of a 20-year-old POS operator who works at Akwata Market, Enugu. Her name is being concealed to preserve her privacy.
The victim was allegedly taken to a thicket outside St Peter’s Church in Coal Camp at 11 a.m. on May 21, 2026. She was robbed and raped by the suspect at the spot, before he fled with ₦600,000, the investigators stated.
But that was not the only case being investigated.
Another POS operator from the same market, 30 years old, said she was lured to the same place about 5 p.m. on August 11. The The woman was stripped of N120,000, police claimed. The guy also tried to rape her, but was unsuccessful in his attempts, it is said.
Later, the inquiry revealed another case involving a 21-year-old lady who allegedly met the suspect on Facebook.
The guy allegedly used the name Franklin Umeh on the platform to get the woman to trust him and set up a meeting, police said. She was said to have been sent to Old Park, Enugu at about 11:30 a.m. on the 4th of October, 2026.
But the encounter didn’t stop there. The woman was thereafter led to a bush around Udi Siding where the culprit allegedly raped and sexually attacked her.
He also took naked pictures of the victim and her phone as well as N100,000, the investigators stated.
The issue then allegedly evolved to sextortion.
Police said the suspect threatened to post the woman’s nude footage if she failed to give him ₦200,000. He also apparently contacted some of her WhatsApp contacts using her phone.
The claims have sparked fears about how social media identities and seemingly mundane commercial deals can be used to lead people into danger.
Operatives of the police, after the arrest of the suspect, were said to have recovered a phone with nude pictures and video recordings of identifiable and unnamed victims. The finding has opened the door to the prospect that investigators may need to find out if more women were affected.
SP Daniel Ndukwe, the spokesperson of the Enugu State Police Command, confirmed the arrest in a statement on Tuesday, adding that investigations were ongoing.
Police said the suspect will be arraigned in court after the investigation had been completed. He has not been convicted and the allegations will have to be proved in legal proceedings.
Meanwhile the command is asking more possible victims to come forward and help investigators. Women who have been online stalked, sexually abused or sextorted have also been encouraged to submit such incidents to the authorities.
The Commissioner of Police in Enugu State, CP Bitrus Giwa, said the command was committed to safeguarding the people from sexual violence, robbery and other crimes.
He also called on members of the public, especially women and business owners to be vigilant and report any suspicious activity immediately.
For detectives, a key concern today is whether the recovered phone could assist them identify other victims and the entire scale of the alleged crimes.
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