Police investigate death of AAU lecturer found in Edo hotel room

The Edo State Police Command has opened an investigation into the death of Dr. Matthew Uwuigbe, a senior lecturer at Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma. Uwuigbe was discovered dead in a hotel room in Ekpoma, in Esan West Local Government Area. The lecturer, who taught in the Faculty of Medical Laboratory Science, reportedly died on Monday, October 5, 2026, at a hotel in the Mosco area of Ekpoma. Police are now looking into what happened before his final moments. Questions remain about events inside the room before Uwuigbe was found lifeless. Police have arrested and detained the hotel's owner, its manager, and a 21-year-old woman who was said to have been with the deceased shortly before he died. ASP Eno Ikoedem, spokesperson for the command, confirmed the case. She said the command received a report at about 8 p.m. on Monday that the lecturer had checked into the hotel and arranged for the services of the 21-year-old woman, identified as Angela Defa Jacob. According to Ikoedem, Uwuigbe later told the woman to leave the room to buy water for him. When she came back, she reportedly found him lying lifeless and raised an alarm. "The woman returned to the room and discovered Uwuigbe lying lifeless, prompting the report to the police," the police public relations officer said. Ikoedem said the arrests were made to help determine what happened before the lecturer's death, adding that the incident's circumstances were still being investigated. She said the deceased's remains had been placed at the Oriaifo Memorial Hospital Mortuary for preservation while the investigation continues. The case has drawn attention in the university community. The institution confirmed that Uwuigbe was a member of its academic staff but said it was not connected to the circumstances of his death. University spokesperson Otunba Aladenika said the incident took place outside the institution and was not related to the university's official activities. Aladenika also said the woman involved was not a student of the university, calling the circumstances of the lecturer's death a matter of his private life. "We are not denying that he is our staff, but whatever he did and what happened, it is his private life. The girl in question is not our student, and everything happened outside our institution," he said.