The manager of Century Home Hotel in Owehlogbo, Isoko North Local Government Area, Delta State, has admitted to the murder of Onoriode Bethel, a 22-year-old Point-of-Sale operator who was reported missing in December 2024.
The defendant, named as Iboirode, admits to luring Bethel inside the hotel under the pretence of resolving a financial disagreement, killing her, and covertly burying her body within the hotel premises.
SP Bright Edafe, spokesperson for the Delta State Police Command, confirmed the horrific development in Delta on Tuesday, May 13, 2025.
“The suspect murdered Bethel and buried her body on the hotel premises,” Edafe said.
According to Edafe, police investigations revealed that the suspect murdered Bethel in retaliation after she accused him of using a fake bank alert to steal N10,000 from her account.
Despite recovering the money, he felt the incident had tarnished his reputation.
The suspect’s wife also admitted to knowing about the murder and revealed chilling details.
“My husband called her into the hotel; she is a friend of his. That day, he called her on the phone and took her into a room.
“It was around 7 pm one evening. I don’t know how he killed her because I was in our room. It was when he came out around midnight that he told me he had killed her,” she said.
In another twist, the suspect used Bethel’s phone to contact her father and demand a ransom.
He also accessed her POS device to withdraw funds after coercing her for the password before murdering her.
“He used her phone to call her father, demanding ransom. He even used her POS to collect the money and extracted the password from the girl before killing her. Her remains have been recovered,” Edafe added.
Bethel has been missing since December 13, 2024.
In March 2025, Iboirode and other hotel staff were apprehended for the unrelated murder of a guest, Pastor Sunday Ogofohta.
The Delta State Police Command says it is investigating the matter and promises justice.
