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A woman was found dead, tied and half-naked, in an Abuja hotel room, prompting a police investigation and the closure of the facility.
Police have shut down a hotel in the Gwarinpa area of Abuja after a young woman was found dead under suspicious circumstances.
The woman, named Aladi Offikwu Johnson and also known as Tessy, was discovered half-naked with her hands tied behind her back inside a room at the hotel near 3rd Avenue.
According to reports, the woman had checked into the hotel with a man. A hotel employee said, “The man (the suspect) came in with a woman initially. He left with that woman and later returned with this one [the deceased].” He added, “He wasn’t a regular customer here. He checked in, and everything seemed normal. Later, he left again without anyone suspecting anything was wrong.”
Her body was discovered by a cleaner who thought she was asleep at first. “The cleaner knocked on the door on Sunday morning and noticed it was open. He saw the girl lying on the bed and thought she was asleep, so he didn’t disturb her,” the worker explained. “He went to clean other rooms, but when he returned and found her in the same position, he became concerned and called the manager. That’s when they realized she was dead.”
Signs at the scene suggested foul play. A syringe was found near her, and her phone was missing. “We saw a syringe beside her. Her phone was gone too. So we suspect she was robbed,” the staff member said. The hotel’s CCTV system was not working at the time, making it hard for authorities to gather visual evidence. “Unfortunately, the CCTV wasn’t working. That’s why we don’t have any footage of what happened in or around that room,” the staff added. “Even the girls that work here said they don’t know her — she’s not someone we’ve seen before.”
After the incident, the receptionist on duty reportedly fled. The police have taken the cleaner and another receptionist in for questioning.
A police officer confirmed that the case is being treated as a possible robbery and murder. “We are investigating a possible case of robbery and homicide. For now, we have sealed the premises as investigations continue,” the officer said. He also mentioned, “The brother of the deceased has been here meeting with the DPO and they left the station together.”
In an official statement, the spokesperson for the FCT Police Command, SP Josephine Adeh, said the Commissioner of Police, Ajao S. Adewale, has ordered a full investigation. She stated, “Preliminary investigation reveals that the victim, later identified as Aladi Offikwu Johnson, also known as Tessy, a female from Benue State, checked into a hotel located at 3rd Avenue, Gwarinpa, on 16th June, 2025, in the company of an unidentified male who was later observed to have exited the premises without her.”
She added, “The victim was discovered unconscious by hotel staff during routine service rounds, prompting immediate notification to the Police. She was confirmed dead upon medical evaluation.”The commissioner urged the public to remain calm as the case is being thoroughly investigated. He also advised young women to be careful when dealing with strangers and to always inform trusted people about their whereabouts. “The Commissioner advises young ladies to exercise caution in their interactions, especially with unfamiliar individuals, and to always share their whereabouts with trusted friends or family members for safety purposes,” she said.
He also called on hotel managers to improve their security, including checking IDs of all guests and installing working CCTV cameras. “He also calls on hotel operators to strengthen internal security protocols, including mandatory identity verification for guests and the installation of functional surveillance systems to aid both deterrence and investigation.”
This tragedy adds to other similar incidents in the FCT where women have suffered abuse or death in hotels. In a case last year, a man was arrested for tying a woman named Olivia Chukwuemeka to a chair in a hotel in Wuse. Reports said her hands and legs were tied with tape.
