There was drama at the premises of Jubilee Hotel in Warri, Delta State, on Tuesday after the management of the hotel held frontline Coronavirus health workers hostage over unpaid bills.

SaharaReporters gathered that the health workers, which include three doctors, two nurses and one health assistant, were billed to resume for morning duty at the Central Hospital treatment centre for COVID-19 patients in the town but were locked up in the hotel for hours.

According to a source, this won’t be the first time hotel managers in the state would be locking up frontline health workers fighting COVID-19. 

“We are having issues here at the Central Hospital treatment centre in Warri. The frontline health workers who are supposed to resume this morning are being held hostage at the hotel because government is owing bills for accommodation.

“This is the second time this thing is happening. It had happened at Isiaka Hotel where some of the frontline COVID-19 health workers at the Warri treatment centre were lodged. The government paid part of the money, and at the moment they are still owing that hotel.

“So, there was an agreement between these hotels and the state government but it appears the government is no longer fulfilling its own part of the deal.”

The source added that the health workers are now fuming with anger and ready to withdraw their services from the Warri treatment centre by Wednesday if the government fails to address the issue.