By Karim Were
Detectives are investigating the death of Matthew Uwuigbe, who was found dead in a hotel room in Ekpoma, Edo State, while police await further findings to establish the cause of death.
Police in Nigeria’s Edo State have arrested three people as investigations continue into the death of Matthew Uwuigbe, a senior lecturer at Ambrose Alli University (AAU), who was found dead in a hotel room in Ekpoma on October 5, 2026.
Uwuigbe reportedly died at a hotel in the Mosco area of Ekpoma, Esan West Local Government Area. The circumstances surrounding his death remain unclear, and police have not publicly established the medical cause of death or confirmed whether a criminal act was involved.
According to the account attributed to police, the command received information about the incident at approximately 8 p.m. on October 5. Preliminary information indicated that Uwuigbe had checked into the hotel and later engaged the services of a 21-year-old woman identified as Angela Jacob.
Investigators are examining the events surrounding their interaction. Police said Jacob had reportedly left the room to purchase water at Uwuigbe’s request and discovered him dead when she returned.
“When she returned, she found him lying dead in the room,” police spokesperson Ikoedem said, according to the information provided.
The discovery prompted police intervention and the start of an investigation into the lecturer’s final hours. His body was subsequently transferred to the mortuary at Oriaifo Memorial Hospital for further procedures.
The arrest of three people marks a development in the inquiry, but authorities have not publicly detailed the individual roles of those detained or announced findings establishing responsibility for the death. An arrest does not constitute proof of guilt.
Ambrose Alli University has confirmed that Uwuigbe was a member of its academic staff while emphasising that the incident occurred outside the institution’s premises and was unrelated to official university activities.
The case has attracted public attention because of the lecturer’s professional position and the unanswered questions surrounding his death. Investigators are expected to establish the sequence of events at the hotel and determine whether the evidence points to a medical emergency, an accident or possible criminal conduct.
#Police reconstruct lecturer’s final hours
The police account places the incident at a hotel in the Mosco area of Ekpoma, a town in Edo State in southern Nigeria. The reported time at which the command received information was approximately 8 p.m. on October 5.
Preliminary information indicates that Uwuigbe had checked into the hotel before engaging Jacob, who is identified in the reports as a 21-year-old woman.
According to the account provided, Uwuigbe later asked Jacob to leave the room briefly to purchase water. When she returned, she reportedly found him unresponsive and apparently dead.
The available information does not establish how long Jacob was away, whether anyone else entered the room during that period or what happened immediately before Uwuigbe was discovered.
Those details may be important to investigators as they attempt to develop a reliable timeline. At this stage, however, the information supplied does not include witness statements, hotel records, forensic findings or a detailed official reconstruction of the events.
The police investigation will need to distinguish what witnesses directly observed from information that remains unverified. It will also need to establish whether there were signs of injury, evidence of a medical emergency or other circumstances that could help explain the death.
No specific cause of death has been publicly established in the account provided. It would therefore be premature to attribute Uwuigbe’s death to his interaction with Jacob or to suggest that any individual caused it.
#Three people arrested as inquiries continue
Police have reportedly taken three people into custody while investigating the incident. Authorities have not, in the information supplied, disclosed the names of all three individuals, the specific allegations against them or whether formal charges have been filed.
The distinction matters because people may be detained during an investigation for questioning or other lawful investigative purposes without having been convicted of an offence.
The available account does not explain whether the three people were arrested together, whether they were all present at the hotel or what evidence led investigators to take them into custody.
Until police provide those details, it would be inappropriate to infer a common motive or assign a specific role to any of the individuals.
Investigators will be expected to establish whether the accounts provided by people connected to the incident are consistent with other available evidence. That may include interviews, records relating to the hotel stay and medical or forensic findings, where relevant.
The fact that three people have been arrested indicates that police inquiries are continuing, but it does not by itself establish that the death resulted from a criminal act.
A clear account of the grounds for arrest and the status of any suspects would help the public understand the investigation without prejudging its outcome.
Body transferred to mortuary as cause of death remains unknown
#Body transferred to mortuary as cause of death remains unknown
Following the discovery, Uwuigbe’s body was reportedly transferred to the mortuary at Oriaifo Memorial Hospital for further procedures.
Medical examination and other relevant investigative findings may help establish the cause of death. However, the information provided does not include a post-mortem report, a medical conclusion or a statement confirming when the findings will be available.
Determining the cause of death is a central part of the investigation because the circumstances in which a person is found dead do not necessarily establish how or why the death occurred.
A person may die from a medical condition or another non-criminal cause, while some deaths require further examination to determine whether another person was involved. In Uwuigbe’s case, the available information does not establish which explanation applies.
Police have not publicly confirmed evidence linking Jacob or any other person to the death. Investigators will need to assess the evidence before reaching conclusions about possible criminal responsibility.
The absence of a confirmed medical cause also means that reports about the case should avoid describing the death as a proven homicide unless authorities establish that conclusion.
#Ambrose Alli University confirms lecturer’s employment
Ambrose Alli University has confirmed that Uwuigbe was a member of its academic staff but has sought to distinguish the incident from the institution’s official activities.
University spokesperson Mike Aladenika told *PM News* that the institution was not disputing Uwuigbe’s employment but said the reported events occurred in his private life.
“We are not denying that he is our staff, but whatever he did and what happened, it is his private life,” Aladenika said.
Aladenika also clarified that Jacob, the woman identified in reports about the incident, was not a student at the university.
“The girl in question is not our student, and everything happened outside our institution,” he added.
The university’s statement addresses questions about Uwuigbe’s employment and whether the incident was connected to university activities. It does not, however, establish the circumstances of his death or determine whether any offence occurred.
The distinction between an employee’s professional role and events in their private life may be relevant to the institution’s response, but the investigation into the death remains a matter for the appropriate authorities.
The university has not, in the information supplied, provided further details about Uwuigbe’s academic position, his department or any arrangements for colleagues and students following his death.
#Why the investigation requires caution
The case illustrates the importance of separating confirmed information from assumptions when a death occurs under unclear circumstances.
The known details in the account are that Uwuigbe was reportedly found dead at a hotel in Ekpoma on October 5, that police received information about the incident at around 8 p.m., and that three people were reportedly taken into custody as inquiries continued. The university has also confirmed that he was a member of its academic staff.
Other important questions remain unresolved. These include the medical cause of death, the precise timeline of events inside the hotel room, the evidence supporting the arrests and whether investigators have established that a crime occurred.
The police spokesperson’s account provides an initial description of the discovery, but it does not answer all those questions. Nor does the university’s statement about the private nature of the incident resolve the factual issues under investigation.
A responsible report should not imply that the woman who was reportedly with Uwuigbe caused his death simply because she was present in the account of events. Similarly, the arrests should not be presented as proof that the people detained committed an offence.
These distinctions protect the integrity of the investigation and the rights of everyone involved. They also help prevent the circulation of unverified claims that could harm reputations or influence public understanding before the evidence is known.
#What investigators still need to establish
Several issues will be central to clarifying the case.
First, investigators need to determine the cause and circumstances of Uwuigbe’s death through the relevant medical and investigative procedures. Second, they need to establish a reliable timeline of his movements and interactions before he was found dead. Third, police need to explain, when appropriate, why the three people were arrested and whether evidence supports any criminal charges.
Information from the hotel, where lawfully obtained, could help establish the sequence of events. Witness accounts and medical findings may also assist investigators in assessing competing explanations.
These are possible lines of inquiry rather than confirmation of steps already taken by police. The supplied information does not establish whether investigators have completed any particular forensic examination or reviewed specific hotel records.
Police have also not publicly disclosed a final finding or indicated when additional details might be released.
#Conclusion
The death of Matthew Uwuigbe, a senior lecturer at Ambrose Alli University, remains under investigation after he was reportedly found dead in a hotel room in Ekpoma, Edo State, on October 5, 2026.
Police have reportedly arrested three people while seeking to establish what happened, and the university has confirmed Uwuigbe’s employment while stating that the incident occurred outside its premises and was unrelated to official university activities.
The most important unanswered question remains the cause of death. Until medical findings and investigative evidence clarify the circumstances, neither the involvement of a particular individual nor the existence of a criminal act should be treated as established.
Further verified updates from police and the relevant medical authorities will be essential to understanding the case. For now, the investigation must proceed on the basis of evidence, with due regard for the deceased, his family and the rights of those being questioned.
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