The management of Jovina Hotel in Gboko, Benue State, has officially informed the French Embassy in Nigeria of the death of a 67-year-old French national, Pietier Gilles, who reportedly died in his sleep while lodged at the hotel.
Gilles, a tourist, checked into the hotel on Friday in a visibly weakened state and passed away on Sunday morning, prompting the hotel management to send a notification through the Benue State Police Command to the French diplomatic mission in Abuja.
Confirming the development in a telephone conversation on Tuesday, the General Manager of the hotel, Amema Cordial, said, “The chairman of the hotel had officially written a notification letter to the France embassy in Nigeria through the Police command informing them of the death of their national.”
According to Cordial, the late Frenchman was already in a frail condition upon arrival. “He was already weak when he arrived at the hotel. My assistant told me that a good Samaritan led him to the hotel,” she said.
The tourist, who had reportedly not eaten for several days, declined medical assistance when advised by hotel staff. “When they saw his condition and asked him to get medical attention, he told them that it was because he had not eaten for the past five days,” Cordial explained.
Despite this, the hotel management made efforts to get him medical care. “But when he declined to get medical attention, the chairman invited a medical doctor from a private hospital in Gboko, he still refused,” she added.
“All these happened between Friday and Saturday, and he went to bed only not to wake up on Sunday.”
His remains were later taken to the morgue at the General Hospital in Gboko, pending further instructions from the French authorities.
As of the time of this report, neither the French Embassy nor the Nigerian Police have made a public statement on the incident. However, sources say preliminary investigations have commenced.
