Police Arrest Two Nigerians, Three Others For Gang Rape Of Colombian Tourist

Police Arrest Two Nigerians, Three Others For Gang Rape Of Colombian Tourist

ROME, ITALY – Italian authorities have arrested two Nigerian nationals and three other foreign nationals in connection with the alleged abduction and sexual assault of a 32-year-old Colombian tourist in Rome, who was held captive for 72 hours in an abandoned building where she was repeatedly assaulted . The suspects were identified as Isibor Wisdom, 29, and Paul Nwabueze, 39, both Nigerians. Also arrested were Saidykhan Lamin, 29, and Karamba Kanteh, 38, both from Gambia, as well as Harouna Traore, a 43-year-old Malian .

According to reports from Italian media and international news agencies, the 32-year-old Colombian woman had arrived in Rome on May 16, 2026, together with a friend, for a holiday in the Italian capital . The nightmare began on May 19, 2026, when the victim was dining at a restaurant near Rome’s Termini Station . Investigators said the woman was approached by a man who offered to sell her hashish, a cannabis-derived product. The suspect, described by police as “the bait,” allegedly persuaded the woman to follow him. She walked with him for approximately 30 minutes before they reached a van, where she was forced inside by two other men . The victim was then transported to a deserted building on Via Cesare Tallone in the Tor Cervara district on the eastern outskirts of Rome . According to Italian police sources, the building was occupied by at least 22 undocumented migrants living illegally in the squalid complex .

During her captivity, which lasted three full days (72 hours) , the woman was allegedly repeatedly drugged, threatened with death, and subjected to aggravated gang rape by the five suspects . Police investigators stated that the five men alternated in the assaults over a 36-hour period, with the victim held in an abandoned room with blackened walls, shattered windows, and mattresses thrown on the floor . The victim was also reportedly robbed of her mobile phone and wallet, which prevented her from seeking help earlier . According to Il Tempo, the building where the crimes took place had been previously known to authorities. As recently as May 1, 2026, police conducted a raid there and seized replica firearms, ammunition, ecstasy pills, ketamine, cocaine, hashish, and heroin.

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At dawn on the third day of her captivity, the woman managed to break free from her captors. She was found half-naked on a pavement on Via di Tor Cervara by a passing driver, who immediately rushed her to the nearby Casilino Hospital . Upon examination, doctors identified injuries consistent with sexual assault and confirmed that she had been plied with drugs. The hospital activated a specialist programme for women who are victims of violence and alerted police, triggering an urgent investigation . Investigators from Italy’s Flying Squad Section IV launched an urgent probe. Within days, they reconstructed the events and organized a raid on the abandoned building, involving officers from the Prenestino district, the Forensic Police, and the Police Headquarters’ Immigration Office .

During the raid, police identified 22 non-EU citizens with illegal immigration status living in the building. Eleven of them were issued expulsion orders and taken to detention centres in Ponte Galeria, Palazzo San Gervasio, and Bari pending deportation procedures . Among those identified, five men were later recognized by the victim through photographic identification as the perpetrators of the violence she suffered . The five suspects were arrested and have since been charged with aggravated gang rape, with prosecutors citing the victim’s vulnerable condition—being drugged and held against her will—as an aggravating factor . They remain in police custody pending further legal proceedings .

Italian authorities said efforts are ongoing to track down additional individuals believed to have been involved in the crime. According to Il Messaggero, at least three other people are being sought, including the man who allegedly lured the tourist from the restaurant (described as an Italian man named Antonio), the person who transported her to the abandoned building, and the driver who conveyed her . Investigators are focusing their search on Termini Station, where the abduction occurred, and Tor Bella Monaca, a known drug-dealing square where the victim’s friend reportedly said they intended to buy drugs . The case has intensified political debate in Italy over urban security, migration policies, and the management of illegal squats in Rome’s neglected periphery. Fabrizio Santori, head of the League party in Rome’s assembly, called the incident “confirmation of the total failure of the Gualtieri administration on urban security” . Vice-President of the Chamber of Deputies Fabio Rampelli demanded “severe penalties and immediate repatriation of those responsible” . The Colombian consulate in Rome is said to be providing legal and psychological support to the victim as investigations continue.