ASABA: Tragedy has struck the community of Owehlogbo in Isoko North Local Government Area of Delta State as the manager of Century Home Hotel, identified as Iboirode, has confessed to the murder and secret burial of a 22-year-old Point-of-Sale (PoS) operator, Onoriode Bethel.
The shocking confession was made public by Delta State Police spokesperson, SP Bright Edafe, who shared details of the case in a video posted on his official X (formerly Twitter) handle, @Brightgoldenboy, on Tuesday, May 13.
According to SP Edafe, Bethel had been declared missing since December 2024. Investigations later led police to Iboirode, who admitted to luring the young woman to the hotel under the pretext of settling a financial dispute. She only went to ask the hotel manager for her money, and he murdered her because, according to him, she tarnished his reputation, Edafe revealed in the video.
The motive for the murder, according to police findings, stemmed from an earlier accusation by Bethel that the hotel manager used a fake bank alert to defraud her of ₦10,000.
Although the funds were eventually recovered, the suspect reportedly felt that the incident had damaged his reputation.
Iboirode allegedly invited Bethel to the hotel, where he killed her, buried her body within the hotel premises, and proceeded to use her phone to contact her family and demand ransom.
He also accessed her PoS machine, forcing her to reveal the password before killing her. He even used her PoS to collect money, Edafe stated. Her remains have been recovered.
Adding a disturbing twist to the case, the suspect’s wife also confessed to knowing about the murder. In her statement, she explained that her husband called Bethel, who was a friend, to the hotel around 7 p.m. one evening. I don’t know how he killed her because I was in our room, she said. It was around midnight that he came out and told me he had killed her.
The case has sparked widespread outrage and renewed calls for stronger safety measures for young entrepreneurs, especially women, operating PoS businesses across the country.
Police investigations are ongoing as authorities prepare to file charges against the suspect and his accomplice.
