Police seal off Lagos night club

A night club proprietor has accused the police of attempting to destroy his business over the stabbing of an 18-year-old girl in the place last week.

Chief Dennis Okafor, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Pearl Harbour Nite Club, said contrary to the police claim, he did not attempt to cover up the case.
The club has since been sealed off, pending the out come of investigation.

A former councillor, Onimole Babatunde allegedly stabbed Mariam Abubakar, 18, in the neck at the club for reportedly refusing his love adances.


Okafor was said to have cleaned off the mess and refused to take the victim to the hospital. Denying a cover-up, Okafor said: “After the incident, we went to the police two times to get a police report to enable us take the victim to the hospital, but they refused. The incident happened on Thursday and the police did not see the girl until Saturday. I took them to where the girl was hospitalised. The day the Investigating Police Officer (IPO), came here to invite me to the station, he said he was inviting me for a case of homicide, that a girl was killed in my Nite Club. As at this time they have not seen the girl or any of her family members to ascertain her condition,” Okafor lamented.

Okafor who owns a hotel, Rochaster Garden, beside the Nite Club, said he had already submitted a protest letter to the Area Commander, Mr Dan Okoro, an Assistant Commissioner (ACP), who he alleged was using his office to intimidate and harass him unnecessarily.

Okafor argued that a Nite Club is a public place and there are bound to be incidents of assault, but that it was wrong for the police to hold their owners for offences committed by their customers.
He noted that in as much as FESTAC residents are happy with what the police are doing in the community, the use of positions and ranks to intimidate hoteliers, is getting out of hand.

“Since the case of Cynthia we have not rested. The police came to my hotel and without due process, ordered the search of all the rooms in the hotel. Thirty-five rooms where searched one after the other while guests were still lodged inside. After that search, most of our guests felt embarrassed and checked out.

“We have not had up to 10 guests since that day. We complied with all the recommendations of checking in guests laid down by the Nigerian Tourism Board, and the police are doing everything in their power to destroy us. We cannot understand where all these are coming from,” Okafor said.
He said he was unhappy that the name of his facility is been destroyed by the police after they have arrested the suspect.

He said that he would not stop the police from carrying out a proper investigation of the incident, but not at the detriment of his business.
He urged the police high command to order the immediate reopening of his facility as he is losing money daily to the closure.

The suspect, Babatunde, had allegedly stabbed Abubakar in the neck with a broken bottle at the Nite Club located at 41 Road FESTAC Town on October 26, over her refusal to accept his love advances.
It was gathered that the ex-councillor, who is highly connected in Amowo-Odofin Local Government Area where he served in one of the wards, had boasted after the attack that he would kill Abubakar for refusing him and nothing will happen. The Commissioner of Police, Umar Manko, confirmed the incident and the arrest of the suspect. He said the matter is still been investigated.