A hotelier, Eric Osaigbovo, has denied any culpability in the death of a Bolt driver, Osarodin Osemwhenkhai, who was allegedly beaten to death in a hotel by a group of people last week in the state.
Osaigbovo, who equally absolved his staff and management of De-Kaso Hotel, Benin City, where the deceased was allegedly attacked leading to his death later, said that but for providence, he himself would have been dead as he was attacked by a mob of over 100 stormed his hotel over the death of Osemwhenkhai.
Narrating his ordeals in the hands of the mob, Osaigbovo said that besides looting his hotel and vandalising the facilities, the irate youths almost set the place ablaze just as he escaped dead by the whiskers with heavy injuries to his eyes and head.
This is just as the men of the Edo State Police Command are still trying to unravel the circumstances that led death of the bolt driver who was beaten by some guests in the hotel after an altercation when the Bold driver came to drop off a guest at the De-Kaso Hotel.
Osaigbovo, who absolved himself and his staff of any wrongdoing in the fracas which led to the death of Osemwhenkhai, disclosed said he was nowhere within the hotel premises when the said incident occurred.
The death of Osarodion Osemwhenkhai last week, it would be recalled, sparked a protest by members of the E-Hailing (Bolt) Drivers in Benin, demanding the arrest and prosecution of those involved in the killing of their colleague.
The Managing Director of the hotel said his attention was drawn by one of members of his staff, which made him rush to the hotel only to discover that the fracas had ended and was told that the Bolt driver was rushed to the hospital where he later died.
He said that a few hours later, a group of boys laid siege to the hotel and before he could try to escape, someone identified him as the owner of the hotel, and was beaten to stupor by the rampaging youths who also didn’t spare the facilities in the hotel.
He added that from the CCTV footage of the incident shown by the family of the late Bolt driver, it was established that no single staff of the hotel was involved in the attack and that he wasn’t even around when the incident occurred.
“It was the checkout guest as seen in the CCTV video that beat the driver and NSCDC staff also joined in beating the late driver. The people involved are known. I’m completely innocent, not even a single drink was spared.
“I was told a cab man wanted to hit the car of a guest who was checking out which led to a fight. Someone had to give the late bolt driver N10,000 to treat himself after the beating. The NSCDC personnel, I was told took the driver to their office.
“I was in my hotel room and all of a sudden I saw more than a hundred boys. They brought a dead body to my hotel. Before I knew what was happening, they started destroying everything in my hotel and they wanted to set it ablaze. I was beaten to a point where I no longer knew where I was before police came to my rescue.” Osaigbovo explained.
Meanwhile, the Police Public Relation Officer, CSP Moses Yamu who confirmed the killing said four officers of the NSCDC had been arrested and were in Police custody over the matter.
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