The management of Sunview Hotel in Akure, Ondo State, has broken its silence on the disappearance of one of its guests, Olaloye Olatunde, a school vice principal, pledging full cooperation with security agencies investigating the incident.
Addressing journalists at the hotel on Monday, the General Manager, Mr. Kenneth Ekpeyong, described the development as “unfortunate and deeply troubling,” stressing that the hotel has remained transparent since the matter came to light.
According to Ekpeyong, Olatunde was one of 58 participants lodged at Sunview Hotel for a one-week programme scheduled to run from August 24 to 30. CCTV footage, he said, captured the missing vice principal leaving his room and walking out of the hotel premises on Thursday, August 28.
“All available CCTV footage has been handed over to the police,” Ekpeyong said. “The recordings show him pacing around the premises several times before he eventually walked out.” He explained that hotel staff became concerned the following day after realising that Olatunde had not settled his bills. Upon inquiry, another participant confirmed that he was no longer around.
By Saturday, Ekpeyong said, the programme organisers directed hotel staff to pack Olatunde’s belongings and keep them with the housekeeping department to avoid additional charges. The items, he added, were safely stored until members of the family later arrived. “When it became clear by Monday that something was wrong, we advised the organisers to report the matter to the police, but they initially declined,” he said. “The hotel later contacted the police and discovered that the family had already filed a report.”
Ekpeyong further disclosed that Sunview Hotel formally petitioned the police through the Office of the Assistant Inspector-General of Police to demonstrate its commitment to transparency and cooperation.
The case, he confirmed, is now being handled by the anti-kidnapping unit of the Ondo State Police Command, while the Department of State Services (DSS) has also commenced a separate investigation.
Expressing sympathy with Olatunde’s family, Ekpeyong said the management shares in their distress and remains hopeful for his safe return. “This is an incident we have never experienced in the decades of this hotel’s operation,” he noted. “The safety and wellbeing of our guests remain our highest priority.”
In response to the incident, the hotel has upgraded its security infrastructure, expanding CCTV coverage and introducing a cloud-based storage system to ensure footage is securely preserved.“We have learnt hard lessons from this incident and are taking concrete steps to ensure it does not happen again,” Ekpeyong said.
He urged members of the public to disregard speculation surrounding the case, insisting that the hotel has been proactive from the outset.
“Sunview Hotel has built its reputation on trust,” he said. “We will continue to cooperate with the police and the DSS until this matter is fully resolved. Our utmost concern is to see this man found alive, and we will not relent in supporting all efforts toward that end.”
