Authorities in Abia State have sealed off Merry Home Hotels over the mysterious death and disappearance of some of its clients who lodged at the facility.
While the body of a yet-to-be-identified lady was recovered from the facility, several others reportedly went missing with no news of their whereabouts.
Dr Eze Chikamnayo, the Commissioner of Information in Abia, confirmed this to newsmen on Saturday in Umuahia, the state capital.
He explained that the government’s action became necessary in view of repeated reports of death and disappearance of clients under questionable circumstances within the premises of the hotel located within the 7UP axis of Ogbor Hill in Aba.
The commissioner stated that the most recent such case was the death of a lady who came in with two young men and a baby in the afternoon on April 15, as confirmed by the CCTV footage in the hotel.
He added that the men left with the baby hours later without the lady, only for the hotel management to break into the room at midnight to find the lady dead with her body dismembered.i
Chikamnayo revealed that the government was in receipt of reports suggesting similar incidents within the hotel, especially at the swimming pool area.
He stressed that no responsible government would fold its arms and watch criminal hotspots remain while the Okezie Ikpeazu-led administration would not allow such an environment to thrive.
The commissioner confirmed that everyone suspected to be involved in the April 15 incident has been arrested by the police while the hotel would remain sealed in the meantime.
According to him, Abia is a no-go area for ritualists and murderers and the government has zero tolerance for any form of criminality.
Chikamnayo warned that any hotel in the state that offers itself for such practice would automatically be sealed and the culprits would be brought to justice.
He also advised parents to monitor their children’s movement properly to ensure they do not fall victim to ritualists and other criminally minded individuals.
Police authorities in the state have also confirmed the death of the lady, saying efforts were ongoing to arrest and bring her killers to justice.
Mr Geoffrey Ogbonna, the Police Public Relations Officer in Abia, said the body of the yet-to-be-identified lady has since been deposited at a morgue.
The State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID), according to him, is handling the case and residents are advised to support the police with useful information regarding the incident.
