A Lagos-based father, Mr Henry Airenekhuemen, has raised the alarm over what he described as the mysterious death of his son, Mattias, who was found lifeless in a swimming pool at a hotel in the Ajao Estate area of the state.
Mattias was said to have visited Signatious Hotel on Saturday evening to attend a pool party where he hoped to sell tickets and earn some money, but the outing ended in tragedy.
Speaking with Punch on Monday, the distraught father said the family became worried after receiving a frantic call that the young man had been rushed to Isolo General Hospital.
According to him, what he met at the hospital was not a patient fighting for life, but the cold body of his son inside the vehicle that brought him in.
“I was told Mattias had been taken to the hospital and that a family member was urgently needed. When I arrived, I saw my son’s lifeless body in the back seat of the car,” he said.
Airenekhuemen explained that he was informed that his son allegedly drowned in the hotel’s swimming pool, but accounts from those with him shortly before his death raised troubling questions.
One of Mattias’ friends reportedly told the family that the deceased had been sitting with him and a lady at the party before he stepped away briefly.
“About five minutes after leaving them, he said he tried calling my son’s phone, but there was no response. When he returned to the spot, the lady said Mattias had gone, yet his phone was still there charging. It was during the search that they found his body in the pool,” the father recounted.
However, Airenekhuemen said the condition of his son’s body did not convince him that drowning was the real cause of death.
“If he truly drowned, why was his stomach flat instead of swollen? Why was there foam coming out of his mouth and nose?” he asked.
The family immediately reported the incident to the police, who visited the hospital, documented the body and later moved it to the morgue.
Police officers were also said to have inspected the hotel premises, where questions were raised about the absence of a lifeguard or pool supervisor at the time of the incident.
According to the grieving father, three persons — the hotel manager, the lady who was with Mattias and the friend who claimed to have found him — have been detained at the Ajao Estate Police Division.
He added that the hotel manager allegedly failed to provide CCTV footage of the incident, claiming he had only recently resumed work at the facility.
Airenekhuemen further disclosed that the family received a strange phone call from a man who claimed to be a hotel staff member and attempted to “settle” the matter.
“What made everything more suspicious was that someone called my son, Lucky, saying he worked at the hotel and asked what we wanted to settle the issue. Also, the pool party reportedly continued that same night even after my son was found dead,” he said.
A visit to the hotel on Monday showed minimal activity, while a man believed to be a staff member said the facility was temporarily shut down for renovation.
“The manager is not around. You can come back later,” he said.
Efforts to get a response from the Lagos State Police Command were unsuccessful as calls and messages to the police spokesperson were not returned.
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