Police confirm man’s death at Port Harcourt hotel

• Rights group seeks installation of CCTV in recreational areas

The police in Rivers State, yesterday, confirmed the death of a man, simply identified as Ken in a hotel, located in Khana Street, D-line, Port Harcourt City Local Council.

The Guardian learnt that the deceased booked a room on Saturday night but was found lifeless on Sunday morning. Spokesperson for Rivers State Police Command, Grace Iringe-Koko, who confirmed the development, said a staff of the hotel came to make a report about the sudden death of a guest at Olu-Obansijo Police Division and the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) with some detectives went to the hotel, and took his photographs.

Iringe-Koko said the remains of Mr. Ken have been retrieved by the police, while investigation is ongoing.

However, it was not clear if the deceased checked-in the hotel with a guest or not. Speaking on the incident, a human rights advocate of the Centre for Basic Rights Protection and Accountability Campaign, Prince Wiro, said information suggests that the hotel does not have a functional Close Circuit Television (CCTV) camera and proper check-in procedure.

Wiro noted that his investigation showed that many hotels and guest houses in Rivers State are not adhering to check-in procedures as stipulated by the state government sometime in 2018/2019. It was during the era when serial killers were going after women in hotels and guest houses.

He called on Rivers State government through the Ministry of Culture and Tourism to set up a task force to monitor the level of compliance by hotels and guesthouses as regards to check-in procedures.

Wiro also noted that the absence of proper check-in procedures in hotels and guesthouses makes it difficult for the police and other relevant security agencies to carry out a proper investigation when a crime occurs in such places.