The owner of Etashol Hotel and Suites, located on Budland Street in the Ojodu Berger area of Lagos State, Mrs Abimbola Olusola, and the manager, Tunji Omikunle, have been murdered.
PUNCH Metro gathered that the deceased were drugged, tied up and strangled by a gang that included some workers at the hotel.
Olusola, who had lived in London, the United Kingdom, for 35 years, was said to have returned to Nigeria recently and opened the hotel for business in March 2018.
Punch learnt that the 56-year-old had issues with some of the workers, who allegedly defrauded the hotel of millions of naira.
Two of the workers were reportedly sacked after the police were invited to look into the matter.
Last week Thursday, a gang said to have consisted some of the sacked workers and some still in the employment of the hotel, allegedly conspired among themselves and drugged Olusola and Tunji.
They allegedly deactivated the Closed Circuit Television cameras on the premises, dragged the manager into a toilet, where his hands and feet were tied.
It was further learnt that Tunji was strangled, after which the suspects proceeded to Olusola’s room and strangled her too.
Relatives of the deceased said that the suspects fled the hotel, as family members met the lifeless bodies of the victims in the hotel.
The case was reported at the Ojodu Abiodun Police Station.
A family member of the late businesswoman, who asked not to be named, said Olusola was planning to lease out the hotel and return to London when tragedy struck.
She said,
“The incident happened on Thursday night cum Friday morning. I was called that my sister had been murdered by the boys working for her in the hotel.
“From what I learnt, the manager had dragged one of them, called Light, to a police station for involvement in fraud in the hotel. There were also cases of stealing involving these guys. Two of them were sacked.
“On Thursday night, the men tied Tunji’s hands and feet and strangled him. I think it was after they had killed Tunji that they got access to the card that opens my sister’s room. They went to her bed, tied her up and strangled her.”
It was learnt that Olusola, who hailed from Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State, had separated from her husband.
“Tunji’s uncle, Chief Tunde Omikunle, said the deceased was survived by his wife and twin children.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Chike Oti, confirmed the incident, adding that investigation was ongoing.
Emeh Achanga,the CEO of the Miss Petite Nigeria Brand is a lawyer turned blogger. She is very passionate about writing, with several publications and awards to her credit .She is currently working on publishing a collection of short stories which are basically a memoir about her exciting true experiences.
