2 Nigerians, 3 Others Arrested Over Gang Rape Of Tourist In Italy

Two Nigerians and three other African migrants have been arrested by Italian police over the alleged abduction and gang rape of a Colombian tourist in Rome.

According to a report by the Daily Express on Thursday, the 32-year-old Colombian woman was allegedly lured away from a restaurant in the Italian capital on May 19 by a man who offered to sell her hashish, a cannabis product.

Investigators said the victim was subsequently taken in a van to an abandoned building on the eastern outskirts of Rome, where she was allegedly held captive for nearly 72 hours.

Authorities alleged that the woman was repeatedly raped, drugged and threatened during the period.

The victim reportedly escaped from the building before she was discovered half-naked on a pavement by a passerby, who alerted emergency responders.

Police later raided the property and arrested five suspects identified as Saidykhan Lamin, 29, and Karamba Kanteh, 38, both Gambians; Harouna Traore, a 43-year-old Malian; and two Nigerians, Isibor Wisdom, 29, and Paul Nwabueze, 39.

The suspects have been charged with aggravated gang rape due to the victim’s vulnerable condition and are currently in police custody.

Italian authorities said investigations were ongoing to track down other suspects believed to have participated in the incident, including the man who allegedly lured the woman from the restaurant and the driver who transported her to the abandoned building.

Police also disclosed that 22 undocumented migrants were found during the raid, with 11 transferred to detention centres pending deportation procedures.