…..Adhoc committee asks the police to shut down a hotel used by West
Kelechi Kas
As the number of girls killed in hotels by a suspected serial killer, David West, continues to rise, the Rivers state house of Assembly’s Adhoc Committee on the serial killing has mandated the police to shut down one of the hotels he killed a girl in for the failure of the hotel’s director to report seeing him with a knife.
This is as the committee warned that it would not fail to sanction hotels disobeying the directive of the police over the installation of CCTV cameras in their facilities.
The Chairman of the Adhoc Committee on the serial killing and member representing Omuma constituency, Kelechi Wogu said when the committee visited the state anti-robbery Squad, SARS, in Port-Harcourt, on Wednesday, that the hotel should be shut down as the committee will not relent in its quest to sanitize the hospitality business.
He did not, however, disclose the name of the hotel recommended to be shut down.
Also Read: Pepple urges MNCs in Bonny to create opportunities for indigenes
The prime suspect in the killings, Gracious David West had said on Friday while being paraded by the police that he killed a total of seven girls.
But the state commissioner of police, Mustapha Dandaura on Tuesday, told the committee that the number has jumped to 15, adding that West is a hardened criminal.
The leader of the committee explained that following its investigations over the killings; they discovered again that the number of the girls killed were 17, not 15.
Wogu, urged the police to do its best to unravel those involved, stressing that Gracious West was not alone in the killings.
The state SARS commander, JOVINUS UCHEMA called on the state assembly to enact a law that would address the issues of killings in hotels to enhance peace in the state.
Member of the Adhoc committee also interrogated the suspect for more information where he said he killed a total of nine ladies in Rivers State and eight others outside the state.
The committee also visited Young Egu hotel in Rumuokwuta road, TN hotels in Rumuprikom, Venice hotel in Woji road GRA phase 2 and Grand Tokio in Rumumasi where Gracious West said he killed different girls.
Other members of the committee include the member representing Obio/Akpor constituency 2, Michael Chinda; and Solomon Sokolo of Abua/Odual constituency.
