••• We have Nothing to Hide – Management
Management clears air on controversy, sympathizes with family, and assures public of upgraded security measures and unwavering commitment to guest safety.
Akure, Ondo State – The management of Sunview Hotel, Akure, has spoken out on the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of Mr. Olaloye Olatunde, a Vice Principal who went missing while lodged at the facility during a training programme, assuring the public that the hotel has fully cooperated with security agencies and remains committed to guest safety.
Speaking during a media briefing at the hotel premises, the General Manager, Mr. Kenneth Ekpeyong, described the development as “unfortunate and deeply concerning,” stressing that Sunview Hotel “has nothing to hide” and is assisting the police, the Department of State Services (DSS), and other security agencies in ongoing investigations.
According to him, Olatunde was among 58 participants who checked into the hotel on Sunday, August 24, for a one-week programme, which ran till Saturday, August 30. CCTV records showed the Vice Principal was last seen on Thursday morning, August 28, when he left his room and walked out of the premises without returning.
“All the CCTV footage of his stay in the hotel has been made available to the police. We also played the entire recordings to journalists today, and it clearly shows that the guest was frequently pacing up and down within the premises before he eventually went out and never came back,” Ekpeyong said.
He explained that on Friday, during the final day of the training, hotel staff discovered that Olatunde had not signed off his bills. “When we made inquiries, a lady among the participants said the man was not around. By Saturday, we contacted the programme organizers, who instructed us to remove his belongings from the room and keep them in housekeeping, to avoid additional charges. The items were safely kept until his family later came to ask after him.”
The hotel noted that it was the first to escalate the matter formally to the police after the organizers failed to act promptly. “By Monday, when it became obvious something was wrong, we advised the organizers to involve the police, but they declined. We then went to the police ourselves and discovered the family had already reported. We equally petitioned the police through the Office of the AIG, which shows our transparency and readiness to assist investigations,” the GM explained.
Sunview Hotel also confirmed that the case had been referred to the Ondo State Police Command’s anti-kidnapping unit, while the DSS is carrying out an independent probe.
Mr. Ekpeyong sympathized with the family of the missing Vice Principal, saying: “We feel their pain and we are praying earnestly for his safe return. This incident has never happened in our decades of operation, and we want to assure the public that the safety of our guests remains our utmost priority.”
He further disclosed that the hotel had since upgraded its security measures, including improving CCTV coverage and switching to a cloud-based storage system to prevent loss of footage.
“We have learnt hard lessons from this experience, and we are taking steps to ensure such an incident never happens again,” he added.
While appealing to the public to disregard speculations, the hotel maintained that it has been proactive from the beginning and continues to support security agencies with facilities and evidence to unravel the case.
“Sunview Hotel has built its reputation on trust and quality service. We will continue to cooperate with the police and the DSS until the mystery is resolved.
“Our concern is to see this man found alive, and we will not relent in supporting efforts to make that happen,” the GM concluded.
