There has been so much heat and arguments since Saturday, June 7 that 31-year-old Christopher Onoriode Awin died in Abuja.After
the incident, the press and family of the deceased reported that
Christopher drowned in the hotel swimming pool because the attendants
were not there to rescue him.
But the management of the hotel has a different story and claim that
it was too much alcohol intake that killed the man. They also noted that
he resisted advices not to swim when the minders noticed he had taken
so much alcohol. When they noticed he had troubles while swimming, he
was rescued and taken to a hospital where he died and doctors confirmed
his death was as a result heavy intake of alcohol.
It was reported that the victim, a native of Uvwie in Delta State was invited to a get-together organized by the Ijaw Students’ Association, University of Abuja chapter which held in the Agura Hotel, in Abuja.
Account of the victim’s death as narrated by two prominent tabloids in Nigeria alleged that the remains of the deceased were found floating on the hotel’s swimming pool.
Media reports
The first account on the incident by a newspaper quoted a relation of the deceased, Mr. Gift Awin, who said on the fateful day, the deceased was invited to a social event organized by the Ijaw Students’ Association, which lasted till 4:00 pm.
“However hours later, when every other guest had dispersed, the late Christopher’s remains, who surprisingly was a top swimmer, was seen floating on the hotel swimming pool by the clubhouse, fueling suspicions that something awful must have gone wrong somewhere.”
“To make it more suspicious, there were no eyewitness account, no CCTV cameras within and around the vicinity of the pool. Even the two lifeguards on duty – Godwin John and Anim Francis both of whom confirmed that they saw the late Christopher swimming, later claimed that they had vacated their duty posts, when the incident occurred according to the statement obtained from the Garki Police Station, where the incident was reported.”
According to the paper, the deceased’s mother, Mrs. Esther Gbokumor, who gazed into space, said her son was hale and hearty that day, and had led the rest of the family in morning devotion same day.
“He was particularly in high spirit that day as he prayed for everybody, including the kidnapped Chibok girls, asking God for their safety and protection from their abductors. He was a very promising young man, so full of life and big dreams. But now, they have succeeded in killing my son and that’s the end.”
The report also stated that the autopsy by the Police pathologist, Dr. Wilson indicated that the deceased drowned in the pool, but would have survived if help had come within 10 minutes of the incident.
The paper stated that when contacted, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the FCT Police Command, Mrs. Altine Daniel, said she was on vacation at the moment, stressing that further enquiries concerning the incident should be forwarded to the command for appropriate response.
However the second paper, while reporting the same account, added some information including the fact that Christopher, is the nephew of the First Lady, Mrs. Patience Jonathan and that a petition has been sent to the Inspector General of Police (IGP), urging him to order a thorough coroner’s inquest into the circumstances leading to Awin’s death.
Agura Hotel story
Bu the managers of the hotel where Christopher died have a different story as they narrated to Abuja Metro that the accounts of the incident by the newspapers are fallacious.
The supervisor and member of the hotel management, Mr Benedict Denis denied all allegations of negligence or conspiracy on the part of the hotel
Dennis said he witnessed the incident and that Christopher Awin died in the hospital and not in the hotel premises as reported after he was found, recued and rushed to the hospital where he eventually died.
The supervisor further said that Awin died from over dose of alcohol, in other words that he was already drunk before he went swimming.
“The man came with a group of about 20 young men, they paid and swam in the pool, but when others were going, he stayed back. Before he started swimming, he took drinks at the bar adjoining the swimming pool. He took two bottles of McDowells Whisky and continued with four bottles of Star brand of beer with cigarette before going to swim. He was stopped from going to swim by the gym attendant because he was drunk, he refused and insisted on going ahead to swim shouting that he has paid to use the facility.
“Contrary to our advice, he jumped into the pool and started swimming, and remained there between 2pm and 5pm. At a point he couldn’t swim again because he had no strength, the gym attendants rescued him and when we pressed his stomach no water came out of him except alcohol, so he was rushed to the hospital.
Doctor’s report
Agura Hotel also explained that: “The Doctor’s autopsy report said he died of excessive consumption of alcohol. He didn’t drown. I want to also correct the impression raised by the family lawyer, Festus Keyamo, that the attendants left their duty post. It was all lies. They did not leave their duty posts. They were the ones that rescued him, instead,” he said.
The hotel management maintained that the police reopened the swimming pool because nobody died there as alleged.
It was reported that the victim, a native of Uvwie in Delta State was invited to a get-together organized by the Ijaw Students’ Association, University of Abuja chapter which held in the Agura Hotel, in Abuja.
Account of the victim’s death as narrated by two prominent tabloids in Nigeria alleged that the remains of the deceased were found floating on the hotel’s swimming pool.
Media reports
The first account on the incident by a newspaper quoted a relation of the deceased, Mr. Gift Awin, who said on the fateful day, the deceased was invited to a social event organized by the Ijaw Students’ Association, which lasted till 4:00 pm.
“However hours later, when every other guest had dispersed, the late Christopher’s remains, who surprisingly was a top swimmer, was seen floating on the hotel swimming pool by the clubhouse, fueling suspicions that something awful must have gone wrong somewhere.”
“To make it more suspicious, there were no eyewitness account, no CCTV cameras within and around the vicinity of the pool. Even the two lifeguards on duty – Godwin John and Anim Francis both of whom confirmed that they saw the late Christopher swimming, later claimed that they had vacated their duty posts, when the incident occurred according to the statement obtained from the Garki Police Station, where the incident was reported.”
According to the paper, the deceased’s mother, Mrs. Esther Gbokumor, who gazed into space, said her son was hale and hearty that day, and had led the rest of the family in morning devotion same day.
“He was particularly in high spirit that day as he prayed for everybody, including the kidnapped Chibok girls, asking God for their safety and protection from their abductors. He was a very promising young man, so full of life and big dreams. But now, they have succeeded in killing my son and that’s the end.”
The report also stated that the autopsy by the Police pathologist, Dr. Wilson indicated that the deceased drowned in the pool, but would have survived if help had come within 10 minutes of the incident.
The paper stated that when contacted, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the FCT Police Command, Mrs. Altine Daniel, said she was on vacation at the moment, stressing that further enquiries concerning the incident should be forwarded to the command for appropriate response.
However the second paper, while reporting the same account, added some information including the fact that Christopher, is the nephew of the First Lady, Mrs. Patience Jonathan and that a petition has been sent to the Inspector General of Police (IGP), urging him to order a thorough coroner’s inquest into the circumstances leading to Awin’s death.
Agura Hotel story
Bu the managers of the hotel where Christopher died have a different story as they narrated to Abuja Metro that the accounts of the incident by the newspapers are fallacious.
The supervisor and member of the hotel management, Mr Benedict Denis denied all allegations of negligence or conspiracy on the part of the hotel
Dennis said he witnessed the incident and that Christopher Awin died in the hospital and not in the hotel premises as reported after he was found, recued and rushed to the hospital where he eventually died.
The supervisor further said that Awin died from over dose of alcohol, in other words that he was already drunk before he went swimming.
“The man came with a group of about 20 young men, they paid and swam in the pool, but when others were going, he stayed back. Before he started swimming, he took drinks at the bar adjoining the swimming pool. He took two bottles of McDowells Whisky and continued with four bottles of Star brand of beer with cigarette before going to swim. He was stopped from going to swim by the gym attendant because he was drunk, he refused and insisted on going ahead to swim shouting that he has paid to use the facility.
“Contrary to our advice, he jumped into the pool and started swimming, and remained there between 2pm and 5pm. At a point he couldn’t swim again because he had no strength, the gym attendants rescued him and when we pressed his stomach no water came out of him except alcohol, so he was rushed to the hospital.
Doctor’s report
Agura Hotel also explained that: “The Doctor’s autopsy report said he died of excessive consumption of alcohol. He didn’t drown. I want to also correct the impression raised by the family lawyer, Festus Keyamo, that the attendants left their duty post. It was all lies. They did not leave their duty posts. They were the ones that rescued him, instead,” he said.
The hotel management maintained that the police reopened the swimming pool because nobody died there as alleged.
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Death in pool: Our story –Agura Hotel |
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