EKPOMA, Edo — The Edo State Police Command has commenced an investigation into the death of a senior lecturer at Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma, Dr Matthew Uwuigbe, who was found dead in a hotel room in the town.
Uwuigbe, a lecturer in the Faculty of Medical Laboratory Science, reportedly died on October 5, 2026, at a hotel in the Mosco area of Ekpoma, Esan West Local Government Area.
Police said three people have been arrested in connection with the incident as investigators work to establish what happened before the lecturer’s death.
Woman Reportedly Found Lecturer Dead
The Edo State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Eno Ikoedem, said the command received a report at about 8pm concerning the lecturer.
According to the police account, Uwuigbe had lodged at the hotel with a 21-year-old woman, identified in reports as Angela Defa Jacob.
Ikoedem said the lecturer subsequently asked the woman to leave the room to purchase water. When she returned, she reportedly found him lying lifeless inside the room and raised an alarm.
The police spokesperson said the woman, alongside the hotel owner and manager, was taken into custody as part of the investigation.
She stressed that the arrests were intended to help investigators establish the circumstances surrounding the lecturer’s death and should not be interpreted as proof that any of the suspects caused his death.
Cause Of Death Yet To Be Established
The precise cause of Uwuigbe’s death has not been publicly established.
Police have not attributed responsibility for the death to the woman or the hotel operators, while investigations remain ongoing.
The deceased’s remains have been deposited at the Oriaifo Memorial Hospital mortuary for preservation, according to the police.
The circumstances have generated public interest because of reports that the lecturer had been accompanied to the hotel by the woman shortly before his death. However, available police accounts have not established that the reported encounter caused his death.
AAU Distances Institution From Incident
AAU confirmed that Uwuigbe was a member of its academic staff but said the incident occurred outside the university and was unrelated to the institution’s official activities.
The university’s Public Relations Officer, Otunba Mike Ade Aladenika, also clarified that the woman involved was not a student of the university.
He described the circumstances surrounding the lecturer’s death as a private matter that occurred outside the university premises.
The police investigation is expected to determine the circumstances surrounding Uwuigbe’s final moments and establish the cause of death.
Until investigators complete their work, reports linking the death directly to the alleged encounter remain unconfirmed.
