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LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — An American woman who was lured to Nigeria by a man she met on Facebook has been rescued after spending more than a year in captivity, authorities said.
Police spokesman Frank Mba said that the 34-year-old man had persuaded the woman to come to Nigeria “under the pretext of love and deceitfully married.” But he then held her captive in a hotel and extorted $48,000 from her.
“He also forcefully collected and took control of her credit and debit cards as well as the operation of her bank accounts including the receipt of her monthly retirement benefits and allowances over the period of 15 months,” Mba said.
The victim, a retired civil servant in the United States, was rescued by a Police Intelligence Response Team following information received from some Nigerians, he said.
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