Two Dead, Six Left Unconscious in Brothel Tragedy

Emmanuel Ugwu in Umuahia

A popular brothel in Umuahia, the capital of Abia State, was wednesday morning deserted by sex workers and prospective customers following the death of two persons under mysterious circumstances.

Six others, including the manager of the brothel, were discovered unconscious and taken to the hospital where they are battling for their lives.

Eyewitnesses said that the lifeless bodies of the victims were discovered wednesday morning at the brothel popularly known as 50-50 Bar, located on Uyo Street, Umuahia, sending shock waves and panic among the resident prostitutes and their neighbours.

The police confirmed the incident, with the Abia State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Nta Ogbonaya Nta, saying that the bodies of the victims had been evacuated and taken to an undisclosed hospital in the capital city.

He said the dead persons were a man and a woman while the six persons found unconscious were all male, adding that the cause of the deaths was yet to be determined.

“We recovered two lifeless and six unconscious bodies from the building which we took to the hospital,” he said, adding that “only the doctor can confirm them dead or otherwise”.

The police spokesman said that the state Police Commissioner, Mr. Leye Oyebade, had already visited the scene of the incident and ordered an investigation, while the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Central Police Station, Umuahia, Mr. Onyeke Udeviotu, led a team of police men to cordon off the area.

The PPRO said the brothel had been deserted by the time the police arrived, following the alarm raised by people but he said that the police would interrogate the owner of the brothel.
Meanwhile, residents of Uyo Street claimed that the deceased were victims of “supernatural forces”, as the sex workers were heard shouting “ghost, ghost” at about 8 a.m. yesterday while running from the premises.

The mayhem drew the attention of people to the scene.

According to one eyewitness, it was the mention of ghost by the distraught prostitutes that made neighbours speculate that a ghost might have been sighted at the brothel, though he was quick to point out that such mysterious occurrences had never been witnessed before at the brothel.

The owner of the storey building housing the brothel, a lady whose name could not be ascertained at press time, was said to have relocated from Port Harcourt to Umuahia to continue the business after buying and renovating the property at Uyo Street.

The brothel is said to be home to over 50 sex workers who make their living from the sex trade.