AAU Lecturer Dies in Ekpoma Hotel; Three Held

A senior lecturer at Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma, has been found dead in a hotel room in the Mosco area of the town, prompting a police investigation and the detention of three people.

Dr. Matthew Uwuigbe, of the Faculty of Medical Laboratory Science, was discovered lifeless on Monday, October 5, 2026, after lodging at the hotel with a 21-year-old woman identified by police as Angela Defa Jacob, a commercial sex worker.

According to the Edo State Police Command, Uwuigbe engaged Jacob’s services at the hotel in Esan West Local Government Area. He later sent her out to buy water. When she returned, she found him lying dead in the room and raised the alarm. The incident was reported to the police at about 8 p.m. the same day.

Police Public Relations Officer ASP Eno Ikoedem confirmed the account and said the hotel owner, the manager and Jacob are currently in custody as detectives work to establish the circumstances surrounding the lecturer’s death.

The remains have been deposited at the Oriaifo Memorial Hospital mortuary pending further investigation.

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AAU’s Public Relations Officer, Otunba Mike Ade Aladenika, confirmed that Uwuigbe was a member of the university’s academic staff. He stressed that the incident occurred outside the campus and was unrelated to official university activities. Aladenika also clarified that the woman involved was not a student of the institution and described the matter as a private affair.

Police said the arrests form part of routine inquiries to determine what transpired before the lecturer’s sudden death. No findings linking any of the detained persons to foul play have been made public, and investigations continue.