A distraught father, Henry Airenekhuemen, has called for justice following the death of his son, Mattias, who was found lifeless in a swimming pool at a hotel in the Ajao Estate area of Lagos State.
While speaking on the incident, Airenekhuemen said his son had visited Signatious Hotel on Saturday evening to attend a poolside event, where he hoped to sell tickets to raise some money.
He explained that the family became alarmed after receiving a call from one of Mattias’ elder brothers, who said the young man had been rushed to the Isolo General Hospital and that their presence was urgently required.
According to the father, he was stunned on arrival at the hospital to discover that his son was already dead and seated in the back of the vehicle that brought him to the facility.
Airenekhuemen said he was later informed that Mattias allegedly drowned in the hotel’s swimming pool, but an account provided by the friend who took him to the hospital raised questions.
The friend reportedly told the family that Mattias had been sitting with him and a woman at the hotel, but after stepping away briefly and failing to reach him by phone, he returned to find the woman claiming Mattias had left, even though his phone was still at the spot and charging.
He said it was during a search around the premises that Mattias’ body was eventually discovered inside the swimming pool.
While expressing grief, the father said he found the explanation surrounding his son’s death difficult to accept, citing physical observations he described as inconsistent with drowning.
The incident was reported to the police, who visited the hospital, documented the body and later transferred it to the morgue, he added.
Airenekhuemen said officers subsequently accompanied the family to the hotel, where questions were raised about the presence of safety personnel such as a pool supervisor or diver, but no clear answers were provided.
He disclosed that three individuals have so far been detained by the police at the Ajao Estate division, including a hotel manager who reportedly failed to provide CCTV footage, the woman last seen with Mattias, and the friend who claimed to have discovered his body.
The father further alleged that the family received a call from a man who claimed to be a hotel employee and attempted to discuss settling the matter, adding that the pool party reportedly continued the same night despite the discovery of his son’s body.
A visit to the hotel on Monday showed minimal activity at the premises, with a man believed to be a staff member saying the facility was temporarily closed for renovation.
Efforts to get a reaction from the Lagos State Police Command proved unsuccessful, as the Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Adebisi, neither answered calls nor responded to a text message as of the time of filing this report.