Brother Arrested for Keeping Sister in Chains for 16 Months in Abuja

A man has been arrested in Abuja. Police found out he had kept his sister chained in a locked room for over 16 months.

Ahmed Sanusi, the FCT Commissioner of Police, shared this information at a press briefing in Abuja on Monday. He called it one of the most shocking scenes his officers have ever seen.

The police got a distress call on June 12, 2026. The call reported that a woman named Grace Aniekuoku, 36, was being held in chains by her brother, Chinedu Aniekuoku.

"After receiving the report, I quickly sent a team of detectives from Katampe Division to the location," the commissioner said.

When they arrived, the suspect did not let the police into his home. This led the police to use their powers to enter and rescue the victim.

"I ordered them to use police powers to gain access to the house. If you need to enter a place for a legal reason and someone stops you, you can break in to do your job," the commissioner explained.

After getting inside, the officers found the victim in a very terrible state.

"The victim was in a highly dehumanising condition. She had been living in her own faeces and excreta for all this time. She eats there and defecates there, nobody cleans it, nobody cares for her," he said.

Sanusi noted that her hair was so unkempt it looked like a forest. She had become so thin that a camera stand was thicker than her neck.

The victim was quickly taken to a hospital for treatment.

"We just pray that she survives to share her story," the commissioner said.

The investigation revealed a troubling reason for her long captivity.

The commissioner said the brother had taken the victim's son to an unknown place about two years ago. He then locked her up to stop her from asking about the child.

"The suspect took the victim’s son away to an unknown location and kept his sister confined to prevent her from asking about the child, who may have been used for sacrifice," the commissioner said.

He added that police are working to find and rescue the missing child. The suspect is still in custody as investigations continue.

"The suspect will be taken to court once we finish our investigations," the commissioner said.