The management of Sunview Hotel, Akure, has addressed the disappearance of a guest, Olaloye Olatunde, a school Vice Principal, assuring the public of its full cooperation with security agencies investigating the case.
Speaking at a briefing on Wednesday, the hotel’s General Manager, Kenneth Ekpeyong, described the situation as “unfortunate and deeply concerning,” stressing that the hotel “has nothing to hide” and is assisting the police, the Department of State Services (DSS), and other agencies.
According to him, Olatunde was among 58 participants who lodged at the hotel for a one-week programme from August 24 to 30. CCTV footage, he said, showed Olatunde last seen on Thursday, August 28, leaving his room and walking out of the premises.
“All the CCTV footage has been made available to the police. It clearly shows the guest pacing frequently before he left,” Ekpeyong said.
He explained that staff discovered on Friday that Olatunde had not cleared his bills, and by Saturday the organisers instructed staff to remove and store his belongings to avoid extra charges. By Monday, after it became clear something was wrong, the hotel advised the organisers to involve the police, but they declined.
Ekpeyong said the hotel later contacted the police and learnt the family had already reported the case. “We also petitioned the police through the Office of the AIG, which shows our transparency,” he stated.
Sunview Hotel confirmed that the case is now with the Ondo State Police Command’s anti-kidnapping unit, while the DSS has also launched an independent investigation.
Ekpeyong sympathised with Olatunde’s family, saying, “We feel their pain and pray for his safe return.” He added that the incident had never occurred in the hotel’s decades of operation, assuring that “the safety of our guests remains our utmost priority.”
He revealed that the hotel had upgraded its security, including wider CCTV coverage and a cloud-based storage system to prevent loss of footage. “We have learnt hard lessons and are taking steps to ensure this never happens again,” he said.
Ekpeyong appealed to the public to disregard speculation, stressing that Sunview Hotel had been proactive from the beginning. “Our concern is to see this man found alive, and we will not relent in supporting efforts to achieve that,” he added.
