The police in Ebonyi State said they have discovered the body of a yet to be identified middle-aged woman in a hotel room in Abakaliki, the state capital.
Spokesperson of the police in the state, Loveth Odah, stated this yesterday. She said the body has deep cuts on the chest and neck and has been deposited in a mortuary.
According to the spokesman, it was discovered at Crown Garden Hotel located along the ever-busy Afikpo road in the capital city.
Odah, who said the victim was found in the pool of her own blood, said the suspect had been identified as one Uchenna Awoke.
She said the hotel manager, Emmanuel Eze, the supervisor, and other workers had been taken to the police station for questioning and accused the hotel management of negligence.
“The manager of the hotel, the supervisor and other workers at the hotel were taken to the station for questioning and I must confess to you that the whole thing is negligence on the part of the hotel management. How can a guest be murdered in a hotel room and days after, the management is not aware of the incident.
“We will investigate the matter properly and I assure you, the perpetrator of the act must be arrested and prosecuted. All we are asking is for the members of the public to avail the police of useful information that will lead to the arrest of the suspect.”
A customer of the hotel, Sylvester Oduma, whose complaint led to the discovery, narrated what happened to journalists. According to him, he arrived at the hotel on Sunday, paid for a suit and checked into the hotel only to observe unpleasant odour oozing out from the next room until it became unbearable.
“I quickly drew the attention of the management of the hotel to the unpleasant odour and they opened the door and found the lifeless body of a fair lady in the room. Possibly she was stabbed to death by her supposed boyfriend identified as Uchenna Awoke.
“Immediately, the police was contacted and a team of officers arrived at the scene. The policemen immediately arrested all the management and staff of the hotel and took them away. The policemen evacuated the body and deposited it in a morgue”.
Oduma noted that the suspect was also said to have made away with all the belongings of the deceased, including her phone so that he could not be tracked.
The hotel manager, Mr. Eze, said he was on a three days journey when the incident took place. He said as soon as he was contacted, he immediately contacted the police who went and evacuated the body from the hotel room.
He said the murder might not be for ritual purpose as the victim’s vital organs were still intact when the body was evacuated from the hotel.
“Every business has its own challenges, this is one of the hazards of hotel business. I thank God that as at today none of my staff has been linked to the gruesome murder,” he said.
Guardian
