Worker dies in Abuja hotel during dispute, suspect arrested

•The suspect. Photo: FCT Police

A hotel worker, Joseph Terdoo, has died after an alleged physical confrontation with a tiler, Samuel Net, at a hotel in the Utako District of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

The suspect, who was reportedly hired by the hotel, has been arrested by operatives of the FCT Police Command over the incident.

The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh, disclosed this in a statement issued on Sunday.

According to the statement, the police received a distress report at about 5am on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, following reports of suspicious noise and activity on the third floor of the hotel.

Adeh said officers from the Utako Divisional Police Headquarters were immediately dispatched to the scene.

On arrival, the officers traced the source of the noise to Room 301, where Net was found with marks of violence on his body, while Terdoo was found unconscious on the floor with multiple marks of violence.

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The statement added that Terdoo was rushed to Wuse District Hospital, where he was confirmed dead on arrival by the medical team.

“Further investigations revealed that the two men had a disagreement which degenerated into a physical confrontation. Samuel pushed Joseph, who fell and hit his head on a wooden object before collapsing,” the statement read.

The police said investigations into the incident were ongoing.

Reacting to the incident, the FCT Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Sanusi, urged residents to shun violence and avoid taking the law into their own hands when resolving disagreements.

He advised residents to embrace peaceful and diplomatic means of settling disputes.

The command also urged members of the public to report suspicious persons or activities to the nearest police station or contact its emergency lines on 08032003913 and 08061581938.