Delta State Police Command has uncovered and shut down an alleged torture apartment run under the name Hustlers Kingdom, HK, where seven young boys were reportedly held and beaten while being forced to learn internet fraud.
The Command’s spokesperson, SP Bright Edafe, revealed this in a video posted on his Facebook page. He said the Police moved in after one of the victims, a 28-year-old named Chukwuike, escaped by jumping out of a window to seek help.
Chukwuike said he had been held in the apartment for two months and one day. He explained that the boys were flogged often and barely fed.
He said, “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. That was why I jumped from the window to report to the Police. The marks on my back were done by my chairman because we didn’t have a paying client.”
Another victim, a 23-year-old from Benue State, said he had spent one month there and was stopped from leaving, even after telling the leader on the first day that he wanted to go back home.
According to Edafe, the boys were whipped often, leaving deep wounds on their bodies. He said, “You need to see the boy’s back,” while describing the level of abuse discovered.
Police officers acted on the tip-off and stormed the apartment, rescuing all seven victims. Two suspects, who called themselves the chairmen of the HK group, were arrested.
The rescued boys are receiving medical care, while the suspects remain in custody as investigations continue. Police say the suspects will face charges linked to human trafficking, unlawful detention, physical assault, and exploitation.
SP Edafe warned parents, guardians, and young people about the rising spread of HK-style criminal hideouts. He added that the Command will continue to raid and dismantle such places across Delta State.
