A 26-year-old man has reportedly stabbed his 18-year-old girlfriend in a hotel room in Yenagoa.

The man took to his heels when the wailing of the victim attracted the attention of other guests in the guest house, at Biogbolo area of Yenagoa,  who came to her rescue. But the suspect scrammed when other guests and residents in the neighbourhood rushed to the scene. The victim was identified as Miss Faith Pius. She was stabbed in the heart and stomach.

Police sources said the incident happened on Friday night.

The teenager was rushed to a private clinic where she was treated but she was said to have developed complications on Saturday and subsequently died on Sunday morning.

The state Police commissioner, Mr Amba Asuquo, who confirmed the incident, said it was first considered as a case of assault occasioned by harm.

“Initially, it was treated purely as a case of assault occasioned by harm but now that the girl has died, we are now treating a case of murder against one suspect.

“We are in the process of ensuring that the suspect is arrested because after committing the crime he ran away.

“I know some people are associating it to ritual killing but we cannot conclude,” he said.

Youths of Biogbolo community took to the streets to protest the death of the girl from knife cuts allegedly inflicted on her by her lover boy.

The youths were said to have attacked shops and vandalised vehicles reportedly owned by the kinsmen of the lover boy along some streets in the area.

It took the intervention of detachments of riot policemen to disperse the aggrieved youths.

The incident caused panic as residents run in different directions while operators of business outfits closed shop and fled.