No fewer than 3 females and a male of Signatious hotel staff were subjected to dehumanisation after former Minister of state for Education, Kenneth Gbagi stripped them naked for allegedly stealing N5,000.
Gbagi who owns Signatious hotel in Warri and may be vying for the 2023 governorship election in Delta state photographed the naked hotel employees before handing them to the Police.
According to Sahara Reporters, the management of the hotel forcefully made some withdrawals from the accounts of the accused employees before handing them to Police.
The accused persons include Gloria Oguzie, Victor Ephraim, Rosslyn Okiemute and Achibong Precious were later taken to Ebrumede Police Station to be remanded.
One of the Signatious employees who spoke to Sahara Reporters on the condition of anonymity said “My boss, former Minister of State for Education and owner of Signatious Hotel, Chief Kenneth Gbagi, arrested four of my colleagues working for him over the stealing of N5,000 from the hotel when actually the N5,000 was given as a gift to them by a guest because of their good behaviour.”
“Before they were arrested by the police on Friday last week at the hotel, the four staff were stripped naked while they were photographed in the presence of the police.
“We learnt that the dehumanising treatment was instructed by our boss.”
They were arraigned before a Magistrate court in Effurun after spending four nights in detention.
The suspects were accused of conniving to steal N156,000, N110,000, N5,000 and N2,000 which belongs to Signatious Hotel, an offence punishable under section 516 and 390 (9), of the criminal code Law Cap21C Vol.1 Law of Delta State., according to Sahara Reporters.
The timely intervention of Anti-corruption and human rights activists paved way for the bail of the suspects.
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Omemiroro Maxwell Ogedegbe who is a Warri-based human rights lawyer confirmed the incident to newsmen.