The tragic story of Mrs. Abimbola Olusola, owner of Etashol Hotel and Suites in the Ojodu-Berger area of Lagos, remains one of the most disturbing cases of betrayal involving an employer and her own staff.
Olusola, a mother of four, had spent more than three decades living in London before returning to Nigeria in 2018. Like many Nigerians in the diaspora, she came back with a dream—to invest in her homeland and establish a business that would create opportunities for others.
That dream materialised with the opening of Etashol Hotel and Suites, a luxury hospitality facility located in the busy Ojodu-Berger axis of Lagos. However, less than a year after the hotel began operations, tragedy struck.
In January 2019, Olusola was found dead inside her hotel suite. Her manager, Tunji Omikunle, was also murdered during the same incident.
A Carefully Planned Robbery
Investigations later revealed that the attack had been orchestrated by some employees of the hotel.
According to police findings, the plot was allegedly led by a laundry worker and a technician who believed their employer kept large amounts of foreign currency in her room because she had recently returned from London.
To carry out the robbery, the suspects reportedly devised a plan to neutralise other workers and security personnel within the premises.
They allegedly laced a meal of instant noodles with a powerful sedative and served it to several staff members. Once the victims became unconscious, the suspects moved to execute the second phase of their plan.
Confrontation in the Owner’s Suite
The attackers then forced their way into the owner’s private suite within the hotel.
However, when they entered the room, Olusola was reportedly still awake. Fearing she could identify them, the suspects allegedly tied her up and strangled her.
Her manager, Tunji Omikunle, was also killed during the violent attack.
CCTV Footage and Confession
The case was eventually cracked through a combination of CCTV footage from the hotel and the confession of one of the suspects.
One of the key suspects, Vincent Ehizojie, a laundry worker at the hotel, was arrested by the Lagos State Police. During interrogation, he reportedly revealed that the group had been planning the robbery for months.
According to investigators, the suspects believed their employer was wealthy and had large amounts of Pounds and Dollars stored in her room. They also claimed they viewed her as a strict boss.
Ehizojie and another suspect, Friday David, were arrested shortly after the incident in 2019.
Court Trial and Charges
Following their arrest, the suspects were arraigned before the Lagos State High Court on charges including conspiracy and murder.
Prosecutors presented CCTV footage that allegedly showed some of the accused entering the owner’s suite around the time of the crime. Investigators also relied on recorded confessions detailing how the staff members drugged colleagues and carried out the attack.
The suspects were subsequently remanded in prison custody while the trial proceeded.
A Case That Shocked Many
The killing of Olusola sent shockwaves through the community and among Nigerians in the diaspora.
What made the case particularly disturbing was the alleged motive behind the crime. According to police accounts presented during the investigation, the suspects said they decided to kill her because she recognised them during the robbery and because they considered her “too strict” as an employer.
Under Lagos State law, a conviction for capital murder carries the penalty of death by hanging.
The case remains one of the stark reminders of the risks some returning diaspora investors face when trying to build businesses back home.