Four Hotel Staff Of ex-Minister, Gbagi Arrested, Striped Naked Before Cameras Over Alleged Theft

The Police from Ebrumede Police Division has arrested four persons working in a hotel belonging to former minister of state Education, Olorogun Kenneth Gbagi for alleged involvement in a reported theft case in the hotel.

BIGPEN reliably gathered that the staff were arrested on Friday last week after they were reported to the police for reportedly stealing some monies from the hotel.

According to sources, before the suspects were handed over to the police, they were reportedly striped naked, photographed and put on video cameras by the management of the hotel.

The hotel, Signatious Hotel belongs to a controversial politician and former minister who is nursing a governorship ambition in Delta state in 2023.

One source disclosed; “He has arrested four of his staff at his hotel in Warri over claims that they stole N5,000 from him, but the said N5,000 was reportedly given as a gift to the four staff as tip for their hospitality by a guest.

“As at Friday the 18th day of September, 2020 at the hotel, he stripped the (girls) lady’s naked filming them in presence of law enforcement agents at gun point”, the source claimed.

One source alleged that the cash were also withdrawn from the victims account through their ATM card before the police bundled them into a waiting van.

Multiple pictures seen by this medium show that the said suspects were actually stripped naked in an office ostensibly inside the hotel.

Unconfirmed report says the hotelier reportedly authorize the arrest and the dehumanization of the victims who were paraded before cameras naked before they were arrested by the police.

In a charge sheet seen by BIGPEN, the police said that the suspects allegedly connived among themselves to steal some monies ranging from N156,000, N110,000, N5,000 and N2,000 being property of Signatious Hotel, location at PTI junction Effurun.

The police said that the suspects committed offence punishable under section 516 and 390 (9), of the criminal code Law Cap21C Vol.1 Law of Delta state.

BIGPEN investigation revealed that the victims who were hurriedly charged to court after four days of being detained, secured their bail through the spirited efforts of some anti-corruption and human rights activists who have decided to take up the matter.

Confirming the report in a telephone conversation on Monday, Warri-based firebrand human rights activist, Omemiroro Maxwell Ogedegbe (eqs), said that the victims were granted bail by a Magistrate Court sitting in Effurun, near Warri.

He said that the court granted the victims bail on liberal terms.

Below is the charge sheet: