EKPOMA, NIGERIA — What was meant to be a brief pleasurable escape from academic rigor ended in total tragedy when a senior academic staff member of Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma, collapsed and died inside a hotel room under very mysterious circumstances.
Dr. Matthew Uwuigbe, a respected senior lecturer at the state-owned institution, met his tragic demise on October 5, 2026, in the Mosco area of Ekpoma, Edo State, following an alleged encounter with a 21-year-old woman identified by law enforcement as Angela Defa Jacob.
How The Incident Unfolded
According to reports from the Edo State Police Command, Dr. Uwuigbe checked into the hotel alongside Ms. Jacob. Shortly after entering the room, the lecturer asked the 21-year-old to step out and purchase bottled water for him.
Upon her return, Ms. Jacob discovered Dr. Uwuigbe lying lifeless and motionless on the bed. Her panicked screams alerted hotel workers, who immediately notified local authorities.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) for Edo State, Eno Ikoedem, confirmed that detectives promptly stormed the venue and arrested three individuals: Ms. Jacob, the hotel owner, and the facility manager. All three remain in custody assisting detectives with the ongoing homicide investigation.
Dr. Uwuigbe’s remains were evacuated and deposited at the Oriaifo Memorial Hospital mortuary in Ekpoma pending an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death.
University Management Distances Institution
The management of Ambrose Alli University confirmed that Dr. Uwuigbe was indeed a senior member of its academic faculty, but acted swiftly to distance the university from the scandal.
Speaking on behalf of the university, AAU Public Relations Officer Otunba Mike Ade Aladenika clarified that the fatal encounter occurred entirely outside the university’s premises and involved a non-student.
“We are not denying that he is our staff, but whatever he did and what happened, it is his private life,” Aladenika stated, emphasizing that the woman involved had no academic affiliation with AAU.
A Recurring Nightmare: A Chronology of Similar Campus Scandals
The death of Dr. Uwuigbe is not an isolated event. It highlights a deeply concerning pattern of sudden deaths involving university lecturers and older men under similar circumstances in hotels across Nigeria:
- July 2025 | Prince Abubakar Audu University (PAAU), Kogi State:Dr. Olabode Abimbola-Ibikunle, a senior lecturer at PAAU, Anyigba, collapsed and died in a hotel room in the company of a 22-year-old student. Reports indicated the lecturer had ingested multiple performance and energy drinks prior to the encounter, leading to heart failure.
- July 2026 | Dutse, Jigawa State:A 60-year-old man died suddenly in a hotel room shortly after checking in with a 20-year-old woman. Police recovered suspected sexual enhancement supplements from the scene after the victim developed severe acute respiratory distress.
- November 2025 | Ore, Ondo State:A young woman was found dead in a hotel room after spending the night with a male companion who fled the scene before dawn.
Investigators are currently conducting forensic tests to ascertain whether chemical substances, underlying health conditions, or foul play led to Dr. Uwuigbe’s untimely death
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