Teenagers Rescued in Enugu After 3 Months in Captivity, Police Arrest Suspect

Three teenagers have been rescued after allegedly spending nearly three months in captivity inside a house at Heluu Estate along the Enugu/Port Harcourt Expressway, Enugu. 

A suspect has reportedly been arrested and handed over to the police.

The incident came to light on Thursday, when residents of the estate said they saw three boys escape from a building. The teenagers were later identified as Joseph Ibangwu, Izuchukwu Junior, and Miracle Tochukwu.

According to residents and officials of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) stationed at the estate, the boys looked haggard with marks and wounds all over their bodies. They told residents they had been confined to a room in House Number HY193 since March 16, 2026.

The teenagers said they were brought from Ebonyi State to work at the business place of a resident of the estate. They alleged that immediately they arrived, their phones were seized and they were locked in a room. They claimed they were fed white rice without stew once daily, beaten regularly, and monitored with security cameras installed around the house.

Residents said the boys escaped when their captor failed to lock the door. As he noticed the escape through the camera feed on his phone and sped back home, the teenagers had already reached residents. NSCDC officials at the estate arrested the suspect and detained him.

Residents said they took the three teenagers to a medical facility where they are receiving treatment for severe wounds. Photographs of the injuries were also attached to a petition sent to Enugu State authorities.

The NSCDC has since handed the suspect over to the Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the Nigeria Police Force, Enugu Command, for further investigation and prosecution.

In a petition dated June 18, 2026, addressed to Governor Peter Mbah, the Civil Rights Realisation and Advancement Network (CRRAN) condemned the act and sought urgent intervention.

“We condemn this barbaric act of hostage taking in all ramifications,” the group said. CRRAN urged the governor to ensure prosecution of all persons involved, describing it as a “heinous crime and crime against humanity” that must not be allowed to degenerate into “rule of the jungle”.

The group said it trusts the government’s stated zero tolerance for crime and called for necessary action as the circumstances demand. 

As of press time, the Nigeria Police had not released an official statement on the arrest or charges. The suspect remains in custody at the Anti-Kidnapping Base in Enugu.

Police authorities are expected to arraign the suspect in court after investigations are concluded.