Delta: Man Who Travel From Lagos To Isoko Community For His Brother’s Burial Killed In His Hotel Room
LAGOS MARCH 28TH (URHOBOTODAY)-The chairman of Isoko North Local Government Area of Delta state, Godwin Ogorugba has sealed up a hotel, Century Home, at Owhelogbo community, Isoko community in Delta State following the alleged kidnapped and killing of a lodger, Sunday Ogofotha.
Community sources revealed that the deceased had travelled from Lagos on Friday last week and lodged in the hotel to attend a brother’s funeral in the community on Saturday, but he was killed on Friday night.
“The man is from this Owhelogbo community, Isoko North, came all the way from Lagos on Friday to attend the burial of his late relative the following day which was on Saturday. But till on Sunday, he was not seen and relatives called his wife and luckily the man told his wife the hotel he was lodging on arrival to the community on that very Friday.
“Based on that information, the family members moved straight to the hotel to make enquiries but they were told by the hotel management that nobody of such came to lodge in their hotel.
“After much heated argument, the family members insisted on checking all the rooms with a bit resistance from the hotel management.
“As the check was going on, they got to a particular room and the hotel owner, Chief Joseph Ovie Oghole, resisted that clients lodged in that particular room making out so they should not be disturbed for whatever reason.
“But the family members and members of the community’s vigilante group broke the door and they saw the man on the bed already killed. He was tired with rope with so many injuries inflicted on him”, one of the sources narrated.
According to another source, “Century home is a den of kidnappers, ritual and other criminal activities take place there. Last year, a girl, a POS operator opposite the hotel was killed in same circumstances and during the search for the man who lodged in the hotel on Friday that was killed, the POS machine and other valuables belonging to the POS girl were recovered from the hotel.
“Even the wife of the security guard in the hotel, has confessed how the POS girl was killed by her husband and buried her at the back of the hotel.”
SaharaReporters gathered that during a visit Tuesday by the council chairman, Godwin Ogorugba with some key government officials, security personnel visited the scene of the crime and officially sealed up the Century Home in Owhelogbo community.
Vanguard learned that the council chairman, along with key government officials and security personnel, visited the crime scene and officially sealed the hotel due, to widespread allegations of kidnapping and other criminal activities occurring there. The council chairman condemned the incident, saying “the police are actively investigating, and we are committed to uncovering the facts and ensuring that those responsible are held accountable. For now, I will not disclose all details publicly for security reasons. But rest assured, efforts to preserve safety in Owhelogbo and the entire Isoko North Local Government remain our priority.
“This hotel should be completely shut down. I want to warn individuals who use their structures for illegal activities, including kidnapping, that the full force of the law will catch up with them. Recently, I convened a meeting of hotel owners within the council, and the management of this hotel failed to attend.
“During that meeting, we emphasized the need to maintain a manifest to track customer check-ins and check-outs. Moving forward, we will take decisive action against any property owners who aid criminal activities in our communities.”
Confirming the incident, the Delta State Police Public Relations Officer, Bright Edafe, told Vanguard that, contrary to some reports, the hotel owner and his wife were not involved in the crime. He said: “It is true that there was an incident, but the owner of the hotel and his wife were only invited for questioning. They had no involvement in the incident and are on their way home.
“We have four suspects, including the hotel manager, in our custody. These are the primary suspects who knew about the death of the man. I don’t like it when the police invite someone for questioning and the press reports that the person was arrested. The owner is just a business owner.”
Meanwhile, the remains of Mr. Ogofotha have been deposited at an undisclosed morgue in Ozoro.
Report monitored from Vanguard and SaharaReporters
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