Shogunle Abayomi, the former head of the Nigeria Police Complaint Response Unit, has taken to his Twitter account to advise ladies on how they can avoid being killed by a serial killer.
Recall that a serial killer who is yet to be apprehended has been on the rampage in Port Harcourt since July and has killed at least 10 women within the space of 3 months.
Following this, Yomi Shogunle took to his Twitter handle to give women a piece of advice on how to avert the plan of a potential killer when lodging in a hotel.
In his post, he wrote that whenever a lady is meeting with a stranger at a hotel, she should always inform the staff of the hotel she is with the man and he should not be allowed to leave without her.
He wrote:
Babe Stay Woke! As you move into a hotel to lodge with a man friend (new/old), remember to tell the gateman AND receptionist – WE CAME IN TOGETHER, PLEASE DON’T ALLOW HIM TO LEAVE IF I AM NOT WITH HIM. That should neutralize any potential bad intention. #YSguide Personal Safety.
Here are some things you should know about the serial killer on the loose in Port Harcourt;
1. At least 10 women have been killed since July 2019; 9 in Port Harcourt, 1 in Owerri.
2. The killer has been operating in almost similar patterns according to reports; luring women to nondescript hotels, probably having sex with them, drugging them and then proceeding to strangle them with white cloths.
3. At the moment, it is unclear whether the crime is perpetrated by only one person or a group of deranged murderers. However, there has been a discernible pattern meted on all the victims found so far; a white cloth or handkerchief has been found on all the bodies discovered in hotels in Port Harcourt. In most cases, the feet and hands of the victims have been found bound and pieces of cloth or tissue have been stuffed in the mouths of the victims before they are clubbed to death.
Dr Attah Essien, while writing for Firstreportsonline.com, stated that “the fact that a similar crime was perpetrated in Owerri, Imo State a week ago makes one wonder if this serial killer is not widening his dragnet. This brings to 9 women killed in Port Harcourt and 1 in Owerri. All the women were strangled and left naked in a sleazy Motel…. The criminal is on a dangerous spree. Ten (10) women in less than three months shows he is in a frenzy with no cooling off period as he evolves in his craft….”
4. Some of the names of the victims have been given as Jennifer Nwokocha and Maureen Ewsu. Law enforcement is yet to provide names of other victims at the time of writing.
5. The police has however blamed all that has happened (the serial killings) on prostitution. Chuks Enwonwu, the Deputy Commissioner of Police in Rivers State, while speaking with BBC stated that:
“in as much as societal values degenerate, you need to go back to educate your fellow women and advise them against prostitution because they are the targets and victims of such crimes.”
However, Soibi Ibibo Jack, who led a group of women protesters to police headquarters in Port Harcourt, said the women are worried that police profiled all the victims who died in the hotels as prostitutes. She said that was not true, adding that “even if they were sex workers, their lives matter because they were human beings too.”
