If Eko Hotel Rooms Are Unsafe, Where Is?

There is this reverence I have for Eko Hotel in Lagos. To me and a lot of people, it is the best run international hotel in the country. The fact that it does not carry an international name like Sheraton or Hyatt is a source of pride. What can be more African than ‘Eko’? Yes, I know about the ownership, but then, they still chose Eko as a name.

The hotel asides from its excellent service also ooze an aura of security. When you are in there, you know you are safe. That is why most of the guests at the hotel are foreigners. They know that if the rest of the country is under fire, Eko Hotel will always be a safe haven.

But this sense of security has been proven false. Last Sunday, Popular Nigerian Singer, Abinye David Jumbo, AKA Mr 2Kay, was robbed at the hotel in his room. To make matters worse, he was robbed at gunpoint. In an Eko Hotel room?

What was the use of all the metal detectors scattered around the hotel? With the assailants still at large, what are the uses of all the cameras all over the place? At any given point I can count three squads of policemen around the hotel, alongside hundreds of private security men and women.

I really don’t think it should be possible for a gunman to reach as far as a guest’s room, in such a hotel.

Mr 2kay was attacked alongside a friend by four gunmen during the Buckwyld and Breathless concert where he had performed. Confirming the incident, his Manager, James Silas, of Grafton Record said, “The robbers, four in number, gained access into Mr. 2Kay’s room after he mistook one of them for room service. They forced their way into his room and waved a gun with threats to shoot him if he made a noise. Mr 2Kay, who was in the room with a friend, struggled with one of the robbers, as the others punched and hit him with a gun, repeatedly warning that they will shoot if he doesn’t calm down. One of the robbers led and locked 2Kay’s friend in the bathroom, while the others tied the singer’s arms, legs and mouth and took his valuables including jewelry, clothes, perfumes, phones, and money. They also cut the room’s intercom to avoid any form of communication as they left the hotel.”

At the moment, the management of Eko Hotel says investigations are still ongoing on the case, and cannot comment. I wonder how other guests will be feeling after such incident. They need a lot of damage control.