The woman was found unresponsive in Achieves Hotel, No. 3 Clifford Lane, in the early hours of Tuesday, September 8, 2026. The case was reported to police around 8:00AM by the hotel’s director, manager and receptionist on duty.
According to the Forum, the deceased had lodged on the evening of September 7 with an unidentified male guest who booked Room 2, but whose details were allegedly not properly captured.
Chairman of the Forum, Hon. Chief Francis Ekpenyong, who visited the hotel for clarification, said the incident highlights gaps in hotel documentation and surveillance.
He noted apparent marks of violence reportedly observed on the deceased’s face and neck and said the hotel’s CCTV “reportedly captured the male guest,” making the footage central to identifying him.
“We cannot continue to admit guests without proper records and without cameras that protect both guests and operators
“Every hotel must have functional CCTV covering entry points and common areas, and recordings must be preserved for security purposes,” he said.
The Forum also cautioned hotel operators against admitting accompanying guests without proper identification.
It recommended accurate guest registers, verification of IDs, and clear procedures for reporting suspicious activity to security agencies.
Chief Ekpenyong further warned youths popularly called “Yahoo boys” against using hotels for ritual-related activities, violent crimes and other enterprises capable of endangering human life, describing ritual killing as “reprehensible criminal conduct that must have no accommodation within Calabar South.”
While commending CP Ajo Geoffrey Ordue and the Cross River State Police Command for commencing investigation, the chairman stressed that the detention of the receptionist is for questioning and “not a declaration of guilt.”
He urged residents with credible information to assist police, called on parents to monitor their children’s movements, and warned against “vigilantism, mob action and the circulation of unverified allegations.”
The Forum extended sympathy to the family of the deceased and said her identification should be treated as a matter of urgency.
Concluding, Chief Ekpenyong said the incident must serve as a reminder that security is everybody’s business, and that proper documentation plus CCTV will help forestall future deaths and protect the reputation of Calabar South.
