By SCM Reporter I Wednesday, Oct. 07, 2026
EKPOMA, Edo State — Tragedy has struck the academic community of the Edo State-owned Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma, following the sudden death of a senior lecturer, Dr. Matthew Uwuigbe.
Dr. Uwuigbe reportedly slumped and died in a hotel room in the Mosco area of Ekpoma, Esan West Local Government Area, following an alleged sexual encounter with a 21-year-old commercial sex worker identified as Angela Defa Jacob.
The incident, which occurred on Sunday, October 5, 2026, has thrown the university town into shock and raised questions surrounding the mysterious circumstances of his sudden demise.
Confirming the incident to newsmen on Tuesday, the Public Relations Officer of the Edo State Police Command, ASP Eno Ikoedem, revealed that three individuals have been taken into custody in connection with the lecturer’s death.
Those arrested include the 21-year-old sex worker, Angela Defa Jacob, alongside the owner and manager of the hotel where the incident occurred.
Detailing the initial findings, ASP Ikoedem stated:
”On October 5, 2026, at about 8:00 p.m., the command received a report that Matthew Uwuigbe, a lecturer at Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, had lodged at a hotel in Ekpoma and engaged the services of a 21-year-old sex worker, Angela Defa Jacob.
”He subsequently sent the woman out to purchase water for him, and upon her return, she found him lying dead in the room. The woman returned to the room and discovered Uwuigbe lying lifeless, prompting the immediate report to the police.”
The police spokesperson added that the arrests were made to establish the exact sequence of events leading up to the lecturer’s death. She confirmed that the deceased’s remains have been deposited at the Oriaifo Memorial Hospital mortuary for preservation, pending an autopsy to determine the precise cause of death.
Reacting to the tragic development, the management of Ambrose Alli University confirmed that Dr. Uwuigbe was a senior academic staff member of the institution, but maintained that the university had no connection to the incident.
Speaking on behalf of the university, the Public Relations Officer, Otunba Mike Ade Aladenika, emphasized that the tragedy occurred entirely outside the campus environment and pertained strictly to the late lecturer’s private life.
”We are not denying that he is our staff, but whatever he did and what happened, it is his private life. The girl in question is not our student, and everything happened outside our institution,” Aladenika clarified.
Ambrose Alli University (AAU), located in Ekpoma, Edo State, is one of Nigeria’s premier state-owned tertiary institutions, established in 1981 by the former governor of the old Bendel State, Professor Ambrose Folorunsho Alli.
Over the years, the university town of Ekpoma has grown into a bustling academic hub, surrounded by residential areas and commercial hospitality establishments that cater to staff, students, and visitors.
The sudden death of university academics under non-academic or unusual circumstances often elicits intense public attention and debate across Nigerian tertiary institutions.
Incidents involving sudden cardiac arrest or physical exhaustion during strenuous physical activity—such as intense sexual encounters—have increasingly highlighted the risks of unmanaged cardiovascular health conditions, high blood pressure, and the unprescribed use of performance-enhancing drugs among middle-aged and older men.
Police investigations remain active as homicide detectives and medical experts await post-mortem examination results from Oriaifo Memorial Hospital. The findings will clarify whether the death was due to natural causes, a sudden medical emergency, or foul play.