Operatives of the Delta State Police Command have dismantled a notorious torture apartment operated by an internet fraud syndicate known as “Hustlers Kingdom” (HK), rescuing seven young boys who were held captive, flogged, and starved as part of a brutal “training” regimen for cybercrime. Two suspects, identified as the ringleaders or “chairmen” of the group, were arrested during the raid in the Enerhen area of Warri, Delta State, on charges including human trafficking, unlawful detention, physical assault, and exploitation.
The operation was triggered by a daring escape from one of the victims, 28-year-old Chukwuike from Anambra State, who had endured over two months of captivity. Deceived into joining the group with promises of quick wealth through “yahoo yahoo” (internet fraud), Chukwuike leapt from a window to alert authorities after repeated beatings and denial of food. “We don’t eat. Sometimes, we eat once in a day and then stay four days again without food. We don’t have access to our phones. Anytime we tell the chairman that we want to go, he beats us with cane and refuses to let us leave,” he recounted, showing deep lash marks across his back from whippings with a koboko (horsewhip) whenever the boys failed to secure “paying clients.”
Police spokesperson, Superintendent Bright Edafe, detailed the horror in a statement and accompanying video, noting that the victims—aged between 18 and 28 and hailing from states like Anambra, Benue, and Delta—were lured with false job offers or fraud opportunities. Once inside the nondescript apartment, they faced relentless abuse: routine floggings for underperformance, isolation from the outside world, and psychological torment designed to break their will. One 23-year-old victim from Benue State, who had been there just a month, echoed the desperation, saying he begged to leave on day one but was met with violence.
“You need to see the boy’s back,” Edafe said, highlighting the severity of the injuries. The rescued boys, bearing visible scars and emaciated from malnutrition, are now under medical care at a state facility, receiving treatment for physical wounds and trauma counseling. Preliminary investigations reveal the HK syndicate targeted vulnerable youths, exploiting Nigeria’s youth unemployment crisis to coerce them into fraud rings. The apartment, disguised as a “learning center,” was stocked with fraud tools like laptops and SIM cards, underscoring the nexus between cybercrime and human rights abuses in the Niger Delta region.
The arrests of the two “chairmen”—whose identities are withheld pending further probes—came without resistance during the swift raid. Edafe emphasized that this is part of a broader crackdown on such “HK-style” hideouts proliferating across Delta State, often preying on desperate young men from rural areas. “The Command will continue to raid and dismantle these criminal operations,” he vowed, urging parents, guardians, and youths to beware of get-rich-quick schemes and report suspicious activities.
This incident shines a spotlight on the dark underbelly of cyber fraud in Nigeria’s oil-rich South-South, where economic desperation fuels organized crime. While Delta Police have notched successes in recent anti-kidnapping operations—such as rescuing three victims in Ubeji last month—the persistence of these torture houses signals the need for heightened vigilance and community involvement. Authorities are collaborating with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to trace the syndicate’s wider network, with the suspects slated for arraignment once investigations conclude.
The Delta State Police Command reaffirmed its commitment to protecting vulnerable citizens, particularly in the Niger Delta’s urban fringes like Warri, where youth exploitation threatens social stability. Commissioner of Police, Olufemi Abaniwonda, praised the operatives’ prompt response and called for public tips to prevent future atrocities.
