26th November, 2012
The manager of a hotel in Lagos State, Southwest Nigeria has been stabbed to death by two football fans during an English Premier League match on Sunday. The police identified the victim as Ben.
The two suspects identified as Kayode Ogunwa and Oluwa Femi have been arrested and are now facing murder charge in connection with his death.
They are being detained in a cell at the Area ‘M’ Police Command, Idimu, Lagos.
The incident happened at Obanla Hotel located at LASU/ Igando Road, Diamond Bus Stop, Isheri Olofin, on the outskirts of Lagos.
A police source told P.M.NEWS that the suspects reside at Diamond Estate, opposite the hotel and drove there to watch a match.
The hotel, it was gathered, was filled to capacity and some customers who wanted to buy drinks could not get chairs to sit.
This prompted the late Ben to ask those watching the match without buying drinks to vacate their chairs for those willing to buy drinks. The suspects who did not buy drinks refused to vacate their chairs and this resulted in an argument between them and the late Ben. The argument degenerated into a brawl during which one of the suspects ran to the car they brought and emerged with a knife with which he stabbed Ben in the neck.
The hotel manager, investigations revealed, bled profusely from his wound and died before he could be rushed to the Igando General Hospital. His body was later deposited at the Ikeja General Hospital mortuary for autopsy.
When P.M.NEWS visited Area ‘M’ Command, the Area Commander was not around to comment on the incident.
Sources at the command told our correspondent that an officer in the command, Inspector Humphry Keku, was assigned to investigate the matter.
At the hotel, the owner, it was learnt, followed the police to the Ikeja mortuary where the body of the hotel manager was deposited.
Blood stains were observed on the floor and walls of the hotel, while a team of police officers went round taking photographs and gathering exhibits.
A source at the station told P.M.NEWS that the matter will be transferred to the state criminal investigation department, SCID, Panti, Yaba, for further investigation.
—Cyriacus Izuekwe