From Jude Chinedu, Enugu
An unidentified young woman has been murdered at a hotel located along Ibagwa Road in Nsukka, Enugu State, over the weekend in what is suspected to be a ritual killing.
The incident occurred at Madoka Hotel, situated at Obukpa Layout in the university town of Nsukka.
According to a local source, the victim had checked into the hotel with a young man the previous day. “Little did she know it was the end of her life journey on earth,” the source said.
Reports that circulated widely on social media claimed that the man, who lodged with the lady, came out alone in the morning.
When questioned by hotel staff about his female companion, he reportedly told them that she had left earlier and identified her as a prostitute.
A source disclosed that, “He told them that the lady had left earlier, that she is a prostitute. Unknowing that he was lying, the receptionists believed him; they were newly employed, so they acted out of ignorance.”
However, the deception was uncovered moments later when hotel cleaners entered the room.
“They shockingly discovered that the lady had been murdered. The culprit, who is now on the run, murdered her, removed vital body parts, then placed the mattress on her body and covered it with bed spread,” the source further revealed.
The situation was compounded when it was discovered that the phone number provided by the male guest during check-in was fake. In response, the police reportedly took some hotel staff into custody for questioning, while efforts are ongoing to track and arrest the fleeing suspect.
Despite the viral claims of ritualistic mutilation, the Enugu State Police Command has refuted such narratives.
When contacted, the Command’s spokesman, Daniel Ndukwe, said that while a murder had indeed occurred, the body was intact and reports of mutilation were false.
He was quoted as saying: “There was never anything as such on her, like mutilation or body parts missing, not at all. Obviously, she was murdered, but the claims of ritual and removal of body parts as being peddled is total falsehood. Everything is intact; we suspect murder, but obviously not as par ritual, mutilation and all that.”
As of the time of filing this report, the identity of the victim remains unknown.