A 200-level Microbiology student of Benue State University, Markurdi, Veronica Takor, was found dead in a room in Modona Hotel, after she allegedly left her shop with the promise to return soon.

WITHIN NIGERIA had reported that the 22-year-old was found dead inside the hotel room located at Nyiman Layout in Makurdi, the Benue State capital.

Veronica’s death has sent shock waves down the spines of Markurdi residents and left her widowed mother and siblings in trauma.

Speaking with The Nation at the Veronica’s family house, the deceased’s mother, Mrs. Philo Takor said: “My name is Mrs. Philo Takor; a teacher by profession. I lost my husband to the cold hands of death more than 12 years ago.

“I have four children, three girls and one boy, and I have been training them from primary school until they are now in the university.

“Two of my daughters, the late Veronica and Doowuese, are both in Benue State University Makurdi.

“On Saturday, 19th March, Veronica woke up at about 7 am, and told me that she was going to Wadata Market where she used to buy second hand clothes to sell. She went and returned to the house at about 12 noon.

“When I came out of the bathroom and was getting ready to go for a wedding, I saw her and she told me that she had bought the clothes and left them at the shop so that after having her bath, she would go back to the shop where she also fixes nails for people.

“I told her I was going to a wedding and I left. Thereafter, I checked her up at the shop but met the clothes she arranged on the table while Veronica herself was nowhere around. It was around 3 pm.

“I asked her friend who operates a POS centre beside her shop and she told me that Veronica only told her that she was going out and would soon return. So I left a message with her friend that when she returned, she should tell her that I checked on her.

“Thereafter, I tried to call her on the phone but her phone was switched off. From about 3 pm, we kept trying the number but it was not going through. My daughter Doowuese also joined in trying to get her on the phone to no avail.

“When it was night, I became apprehensive and did not sleep. I was worried because she had never spent a night outside her house. I sat outside till about 5am on Sunday morning.

“Doowuese later joined me and said, ‘Mummy, I know you would not sleep. But don’t worry she is an adult and she knows your phone number offhand. If anything had gone wrong, she would have called you.”

“As my daughter was talking to me, I saw a Young man standing on the other corner of the street. The young man had been standing there for some time, so I became suspicious. And each time I attempted to see the young man, he would try to hide.

“Then a lady in the next house was going to fetch water and the young man who was standing called her to come over to where stood.

“By then, I stood up to eavesdrop on what the young man was discussing with the lady (Nadoo).

“The young man was showing the lady something on a handset, so I asked my daughter Doowuese to go and find out from Nadoo what the young man was showing her.

“Immediately my daughter got close to the young man, he handed her a handset and told her that it was her sister’s (Veronica’s) handset, saying that she (Veronica) was drinking and collapsed.

“The man also gave my daughter a key and she asked him what the key was for; the man said it was the key to the room where my daughter was drinking before she collapsed.”

“Doowuese told the young man, ‘I don’t know you, how come you are in possession of my sister’s phone? Hold the phone and key and take me to where you said my sister collapsed’.

“By then, my daughter switched on the phone, screenshot the Facebook chat and messages of the man that invited her to the hotel. The messages and those on the Face book were the same.

“My daughter rushed back into the house and dressed up to follow the man. I told her I was the one who asked you to see the young man, so where are you going? You have not even told me what happened. But she said I should be calm and left immediately to meet the young man.

“The man took my daughter on a motorcycle and I started my car and followed them. I followed them with courage as the cyclist rode recklessly towards Nyimam Layout in Makurdi and came to a halt in front of Madona Guest House.

At Madona Guest House, my daughter and the young mam went into the hotel. I switched off my car engine and followed them into the hotel.

“I saw a man near the gate and asked him where the two people who just came had gone to, and he said he didn’t know. I asked him why he would not know when the two people had just entered this premises. He reluctantly pointed to the upstairs, and I followed them.

“Inside the hotel, I heard my daughter shouting the name of her sister to know whether she was alive. This was on in Room 406 on the last floor. The door to the room was open and we saw Veronica on her knees face down on the bed. She was locked inside an air-conditioned room that was cold enough to kill anyone.

“Doowuese touched her hand and it was cold; an indication that she was dead.

“We held the young man by his shirt and asked who are you? The man said his name is Kator Jibo; that he was living in the same neighbourhood with me. I asked if he worked there, but he said no. I asked how he knew my house that he would come and give me my daughter’s phone.

“At this time, two boys came and pleaded with us to go down stairs. Then I asked for the Manager of the hotel. The manager later came and my daughter held him and asked how her sister died in his hotel. Incidentally, the Manager is the son of the owner of the hotel.

The manager pleaded that the man that was with my daughter was a regular guest in the hotel, saying he didn’t know about the death, but my daughter, Kator Jibo and their regular guest who is now at large were in the hotel when he (Manager) left for home.”

Mrs Takor alleged that while the argument between them was going on, the manager secretly arranged for police and ambulance. When the police came, she said, they refused to allow them to take pictures.

“Even the police themselves did not take pictures as evidence that Veronica died in their hotel,” she said.

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