Police Arrest Hotelier, Staff After Client Found Dead In Hotel As Delta Council Seals Premises

A hotel in Delta State, where lodgers become victims of a kidnapping ring, has been sealed by the Isoko North Local Government Council after it was discovered that a client was allegedly found dead in the premises.

The owner and staff of the hotel have been arrested in connection with the incident.

The hotel, located in Owhelogbo community, Isoko North Local Government Area, was allegedly being used as a hub for kidnapping and other criminal activities.

The police received a tip-off that a client, Sunday Ogofotha, had been kidnapped and killed at the hotel.

Upon investigation, the police found evidence of the kidnapping and arrested the hotel owner, Chief Joseph Ovie Oghole, the security guard, and his wife.

The police also recovered a POS machine and other valuables belonging to a POS operator who was allegedly killed at the hotel last year.

BIGPEN NIGERIA (https://bigpenngr.com) reports that the hotel was ordered to be sealed on Tuesday by the council chairman of Isoko North Local Government, Godwin Ogorugba, following a tip-off about the kidnapping and murder of one Sunday Ogofotha, a Lagos-based indigene of the community.

Ogofotha had traveled to attend a family member funeral but was allegedly killed at the hotel on Friday night.

Family members and community vigilantes discovered his body in one of the hotel rooms, with signs of torture and injuries.

The hotel has been accused of being a “den of kidnappers” and a hub for ritual and other criminal activities.

Security sources disclosed that a POS operator was allegedly killed there last year, and the hotel owner, one Chief Joseph Ovie Oghole, the security guard, and his wife have been arrested and made confessional statements.

According to the source, “The man is from this Owhelogbo community, Isoko North. He 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 to check all the rooms with a bit resistance from the hotel management. As the checking 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 tied with rope with so many injuries inflicted on him both his penis.”, one of the sources narrated.

Another source said, “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. Century home is a butcher home, where innocent people meet their untimely death.

“What surprises us was the opening at the back of the hotel with a stream and bushes all over it. Can I shock you? Do you know that the sides and front gate of the hotel is well fenced, plasted, painted and decorated.?

“But the back of the hotel where they have bush and a stream is not fenced at all at all and you can never notice that and that is where all the atrocities take place in the community.

“As we talk, the owner of the hotel, Chief Joseph Ovie Oghole, the security guard and his wife who also worked in the hotel have been arrested and they have made some confessional statements to the police. The council chairman has already sealed the hotel”, the source said.

The council chairman, Ogorugba with some key government officials and security personnel had visited the scene of the crime on Tuesday and officially sealed up the hotel following alleged kidnapping and criminal activities said to be going on in the hotel.

The council boss, who was shocked expressed his deep regret over the unfortunate event even as he emphasized the serious nature of criminal activities in the area and explained the rationale behind the recent curfew imposed in the local government for public safety.

Ogorugba said “The police are actively investigating, and we are committed to uncovering the facts and ensuring that those responsible are held accountable. For the now, I will not be able to disclose all details publicly for security reasons, but be rest assured that efforts to preserve safety in Owhelogbo and the entire Isoko North Local Government remain our priority.

“This hotel should be completely sealed up and I want to warn individuals who use their structures for illegal activities, including kidnapping, fhat the wrath of the law shall catch up with you. Recently, I convened a meeting of hotel owners within the council and the management of this hotel failed to attend.

“During that meeting, we emphasised 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,” Ogorugba warned.

As at the time of filing this report, Ogofotha’s corpse has been deposited at the morgue.

State Police Public Relations Officer, (PPRO), SP Bright Edafe, was yet to make an statement over the incident. He was also yet to respond to a message sent to him, but police sources confirmed the story and arrest of the owner of the hotel and others in connection to the alleged crime.