Family Demands Answers as Man Dies Under Suspicious Circumstances at Port Harcourt Hotel

A young man's death at a hotel in Eagle Island Estate, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, has sparked chaos after his grieving family rejected the hotel management's explanation and demanded to see CCTV footage of what happened.

The deceased, simply identified as Charles, was said to have died in the early hours of Thursday.

His elder brother, Obomate, told newsmen the family was first alerted around 5am.

"I was at home around 5am when they called me. My younger sister said someone had taken pictures and sent them to her, informing her that my younger brother had died," he said.

The hotel management claimed Charles had fallen from the balcony of a two-storey building at the rear of the facility, but his family disputed this account after visiting the scene.

"We were told that he fell from the balcony of a two-storey building at the back of the hotel. We visited the hotel, but we did not see any trace indicating that he fell from the balcony," Obomate said.

Instead, the family said they found signs of a violent struggle.

"What we saw were signs suggesting that someone had struggled or possibly engaged in a fight. The area was scattered, and we also saw traces of blood," he added.

Obomate said doctors who examined the body raised further doubts about the fall narrative.

"When we got to the hospital, the doctor told us that it was not a mere fall. He said the wound he observed on my brother's stomach appeared to be a stab wound that had penetrated deeply. He also said he suspected that something had been used to hit him on the neck. It appeared that he had been severely beaten, as he also had injuries on his body," he said.

Distraught, Obomate called for a full investigation into his brother's death.

"My brother cannot die like that. That's why we want a thorough investigation to know what really happened," he said.

As tension mounted at the scene, family members and friends of the deceased stormed the hotel demanding answers, disrupting activities on the premises.

Operatives of the Azikiwe Police Division, Port Harcourt, later arrived following a distress call and intervened to calm the situation.

Despite the police presence, the family remained resolute in their demand to view the CCTV footage.

Police subsequently shut down the hotel and ordered guests and staff to vacate temporarily.

A source familiar with the incident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the move was likely meant to preserve the scene.

"As we speak, the hotel has been closed by the police. They asked everybody to vacate the premises. But the family are still there, asking to see the CCTV before they leave and the body is disposed of," the source said.

Efforts to reach the spokesperson for the Rivers State Police Command, Blessing Agabe, an Assistant Superintendent of Police, were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report on Thursday afternoon.

The deceased's remains have since been removed and deposited at an undisclosed mortuary by the police.