Neighbors of a woman who died last week Friday at a hotel in Ikotun, Lagos state, have disclosed what happened shortly before her death.

They said the deceased, who was identified simply as Iya Ginika, had left home around 9 p.m. that day and told her husband that she wanted to visit a friend in the neighborhood.

The residents told our correspondent on Tuesday that the woman, in her 50s, said she wanted to collect something from her friend’s house.

They added that they were shocked when news broke that she was found dead at the Taola Hotel on Prince Adeyemi Street, Ikotun.

The deceased resided at K&S Street, Abaranje Road – a few kilometers from the hotel.

PUNCH Metro reported on Monday that the woman and her lover stayed at the hotel around 9:30 p.m. on Friday and paid for an hour.

However, the workers in the hotel became concerned when it was 12 o’clock morning the next day and the lovers did not leave.

One of the workers was said to have entered the room and found out that the woman has died while her lover had fled. The matter was reported to the Ikotun Division police immediately.

A neighbor of the deceased told PUNCH Metro on Tuesday that she lied to her husband, identified simply as Henry, that she was going to visit a friend who lived on Prince Adeyemi Street.

The neighbor, who did not want her name printed, said she was shocked to learn that the woman had died in the hotel.

She said:

“Around 9 pm on Friday, she told her husband that she wanted to visit a friend on the street where the hotel is located. The husband and her children became confused when she did not return.

“It was the following day when the news of her death was broken that the husband realized he had lied to him. She was about 50 years old.

“Her husband is a motorcyclist and he tries his best to provide for the family. She used to run a lotto shop but later stopped. She sold fish and soup ingredients before her death”.

When contacted, the deceased’s husband, Henry, who spoke to our correspondent on the phone, said her funeral would be later this month. However, he declined to comment when asked where her late wife told him he was going that day.

“She suffered from high blood pressure before her death. We will bury her later this month,” he said.

But the deceased’s daughter, who collected her father’s phone, said the family did not want to dwell on the incident in order to protect their image.

“We don’t want to be discussing this matter. We have our future to protect and we don’t want the incident to destroy the image of the family. Please, don’t call this number again,” she added.

The Lagos State Police Command spokesman, SP Dolapo Badmus, said police are still on the trail of the fugitive lover.