•Hotel owner, wife only invited for questioning — Police
By Akpokona Omafuaire
OWHEOLOGBO—Manager of Century Home Hotel, in Owheologbo, Isoko North Local Government Area of Delta State, and three others, have been arrested by police operatives over the mysterious death of a lodger. It was also gathered that the hotel owner and his wife were invited for questioning, but have since been released after being found innocent.
The hotel has already been sealed off by officials of the Isoko North Local Council.
Community sources claimed the four suspects were arrested in connection with kidnappings and rituals, particularly regarding the disappearance of the lodger, Mr Sunday Ogofotha, who had travelled from Lagos to attend the funeral of a relative.
According to sources, the disappearance of Mr. Ogofotha was reported to the police, and during the preliminary investigation, police operatives allegedly found some incriminating evidence. As a result, the hotel manager and three other suspects were arrested. Additionally, the POS machine and other valuables of a PoS operator, who was earlier killed, were reportedly recovered from the hotel by the police.
A visibly angry Council Chairman of Isoko North LGA, Godwin Ogorugba, was said to have ordered the immediate shutdown of the hotel.
Mr. Ogofotha, who had come from Lagos to attend a family member’s funeral, was said to have lodged at the hotel. Unfortunately, he was allegedly killed on Friday night in his room.
According to a source: “The hotel is a den of kidnappers, ritualists and other criminal activities. Last year, a girl (a PoS operator opposite the hotel) was killed under similar circumstances.
During the search for the man who lodged in the hotel, last Friday, and was allegedly killed, the PoS machine and other valuables belonging to the girl, who was the PoS operator, were recovered. Even the wife of one of the suspects has confessed to how the PoS operator was killed by her husband, and buried at the back of the hotel.”
Corroborating this, another community source said “the victim was from Owhelogbo Community. He came from Lagos on Friday to attend the burial of his late relative, and went missing the following day (Saturday). And by Sunday, he was still not seen by relatives. The family called his wife and, fortunately, he had informed her of the hotel where he had lodged, upon arriving at the community that Friday.
“Based on that information, the family members went to the hotel to inquire but were told by the hotel management that no such person had lodged there. After a heated argument, the family insisted on checking all the rooms, despite resistance from the hotel management. As the checking went on, they reached a particular room where the hotel manager resisted, claiming that the clients in that room were having fun and should not be disturbed under any circumstances. But the victim’s family and community vigilante members broke down the door and forced their way in. Upon breaking in, they found the victim dead on the bed, bound with rope, and with numerous injuries all over his body and his genitals.”
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.
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