By Peter Onyekachukwu 
By Peter Onyekachukwu
Operatives of the Quick Response Squad (QRS) have rescued seven boys allegedly held captive in an apartment linked to a cybercrime ring known as Hustlers Kingdom (HK), following a swift operation that led to the arrest of two suspected ringleaders.
The operation was triggered after officers stormed an apartment where the boys were reportedly confined and subjected to daily abuse. The two suspects, who allegedly styled themselves as “chairmen,” were arrested at the scene and taken into custody for further interrogation.
Security sources said the rescue followed a distress complaint lodged by one of the boys, who managed to alert authorities after enduring repeated assault in the apartment.
The victim revealed that he had been deceived into entering the building, believing it to be a place where he could find legitimate work, only to discover he had been trapped inside a cybercrime hub.
He said the boys were compelled to engage in online fraud under strict supervision, with threats of violence if they failed to deliver financial returns.
According to him, the group leaders resorted to brutal punishment whenever a target refused to pay. “They flog us with koboko if we don’t get a client,” he reportedly told officers. “You need to see my back.”
Investigators learned that the boys were not allowed to leave the apartment and were kept under constant monitoring by the self-acclaimed “chairmen.”
QRS operatives immediately moved in to secure the building, rescuing the victims and preventing further abuse.
Neighbours were said to have been unaware of the activities inside the apartment, as the alleged ringleaders kept the victims indoors and maintained a discreet presence within the community.
Authorities say the rescued boys are receiving medical evaluation and counselling, while efforts are underway to trace other possible victims linked to the group.
Police have vowed to intensify surveillance and clamp down on similar cybercrime enclaves operating across the state, assuring residents that perpetrators will face full prosecution.