A US woman lured to Nigeria on a promise of marriage and held for more than a year by an internet fraudster, has been rescued, police said today.

The suspect, Chukwuebuka Obiakuwhom, met the woman on Facebook, and extorted US$48,000 (RM204,768) from her by promising to marry her.

“Police operatives have successfully rescued an American citizen who was confined in a Lagos hotel where she was held against her wish for over a year,” national police spokesman Frank Mba said in a statement.

“The victim, a retired civil servant from Washington DC, USA, reportedly arrived in Nigeria on February 13, 2019”, and was held hostage by the suspect who also sexually abused her.

He said the suspect was “an internet fraudster who has defrauded many people locally and internationally”.

Police said the suspect would be charged later.

Nigerian scammers often use the internet to dupe their victims by promising them non-existent jobs, marriages or business opportunities. – AFP, July 13, 2020.