Euphemie Motel, a prominent hotel located in Opu-Nembe, Bayelsa State, has threatened legal action against the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, over an unpaid lodging debt amounting to N625 million. The debt allegedly accrued after a Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team occupied the hotel for 13 months without payment.
The SWAT team, led by CSP Silas Adebayo, reportedly made Euphemie Motel its operational base during a sting operation ahead of the Bayelsa governorship elections on August 12, 2023. Despite using the hotel’s rooms and conference facilities, no prior agreement or payment was made to the owner.
In a letter dated September 23, 2024, Inemoye Maxwell Brown, the legal counsel representing the hotel owner, warned that legal action would be taken if the debt remains unpaid. The letter, addressed to the IGP and the Police Service Commission, demands immediate payment and the SWAT team’s departure from the premises.
“Our client’s facilities are in near ruin after the 13-month occupation,” Brown stated, stressing that N625 million in fees had accumulated from the SWAT team’s use of the rooms and conference halls. He warned that the hotel would take legal action if the debt is not cleared within six weeks.
The SWAT team’s prolonged stay, initially requested by former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, has sparked outrage among stakeholders and raised suspicions of election-related manipulation in the region.
