The death of a senior lecturer at Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Dr Matthew Uwuigbe, has triggered a police investigation after he was found dead in a hotel room following an encounter with a 21-year-old woman.
Uwuigbe reportedly lodged at the hotel in the Mosco area of Ekpoma, Esan West Local Government Area, on October 5, 2026, with the woman identified by the police as Angela Defa Jacob. According to the Edo State Police Command, the lecturer later asked her to leave the room to purchase water.
Police spokesperson Eno Ikoedem said the woman returned to the room and found Uwuigbe lying dead. The matter was subsequently reported to the police, leading to the arrest of three people as detectives began efforts to establish exactly what happened before the lecturer’s death.
Those currently in police custody are the woman who was with Uwuigbe, the owner of the hotel and its manager. The police have not disclosed the cause of death or accused any of the three suspects of causing it, stressing that the investigation is still ongoing.
Uwuigbe’s remains have been deposited at the Oriaifo Memorial Hospital mortuary as investigators work to determine the circumstances surrounding his sudden death.
The incident has also prompted clarification from Ambrose Alli University, which confirmed Uwuigbe as a member of its academic staff but stressed that the incident did not occur on the university premises and was unrelated to the institution’s official activities.
The university’s Public Relations Officer, Otunba Mike Ade Aladenika, said the woman involved was not a student of the institution and described the circumstances as the lecturer’s private affair.
For now, several questions remain unanswered, particularly the medical cause of Uwuigbe’s death and what happened in the hotel room before he was found unresponsive. The police investigation is expected to provide further details as authorities examine the events surrounding the lecturer’s final moments.
The arrests, therefore, remain part of the ongoing investigation and should not be interpreted as proof that any of those detained caused the lecturer’s death.