When Mrs. Abimbola Olusola returned to Nigeria after more than three decades in London, she came with a vision—one rooted in homecoming, enterprise, and legacy. A mother of four, she had spent years abroad, but her dream was always to build something meaningful back home.
In 2018, that dream took shape in the bustling Ojodu-Berger area of Lagos, where she opened Etashol Hotel and Suites—a modern hospitality venture meant to reflect both her ambition and her experience overseas.
But less than a year later, that dream would end in tragedy.
In January 2019, Mrs. Olusola was found dead in her hotel suite. Alongside her was her manager, Tunji Omikunle, also murdered in what would soon be revealed as a carefully orchestrated inside job. The crime shocked the local community and quickly became a grim cautionary tale—often cited in conversations about the risks faced by Nigerians returning home to invest.
Investigations uncovered a chilling betrayal. The people behind the attack were not strangers, but employees she had trusted. A group of staff members, led by a laundry worker and a technician, had conspired for months to rob their employer.
To execute their plan, they first needed to disable anyone who might interfere. According to police findings, the conspirators laced a meal of instant noodles with a powerful sedative, serving it to other staff members. As the drug took effect and the workers slipped into unconsciousness, the path was cleared.
Their target was clear: the hotel owner.
The attackers believed that, as a returnee from London, Mrs. Olusola kept large sums of foreign currency—pounds and dollars—within her private suite. Acting on this assumption, they forced their way into her room.
But the plan did not unfold as quietly as intended. They reportedly found her awake.
What followed was a fatal decision. Fearing she could identify them, the attackers restrained and strangled her, turning what may have begun as robbery into murder.
The case was eventually cracked through a combination of technology and human error. CCTV footage captured movements within the hotel, while one of the suspects, Vincent Ehizojie—the laundry man—was later arrested by the Lagos State Police. His confession laid bare the full extent of the plot, revealing months of planning fueled by resentment and the perception that their employer was both wealthy and overly strict.
Ehizojie, alongside another key suspect, Friday David, was arrested shortly after the incident. During interrogation, they admitted to drugging their colleagues and killing their employer when she recognized them.
As the case progressed through the Lagos State High Court, the weight of evidence—video footage and detailed confessions—left little room for doubt. The suspects were charged with conspiracy and murder, offences that, under Lagos State law, carry the ultimate penalty upon conviction.
What perhaps lingered most disturbingly throughout the proceedings was the apparent lack of remorse. The suspects reportedly justified their actions by claiming Mrs. Olusola’s strictness as an employer and the simple fact that she could identify them sealed her fate.
Beyond the courtroom, the story of Abimbola Olusola has endured as more than just a criminal case. It has become a sobering narrative about trust, vulnerability, and the complex realities facing those who return home with dreams of building anew.
For many, her story is a painful reminder that sometimes, the greatest dangers are not from outsiders—but from within.