Abuja-based lawyer murdered in Lagos hotel room by chef 

Joy Anyim

The 34 year old lawyer who was in Lagos for a business meeting on January 26, 2019, was attacked by the suspect, Joshua Usulor while in her hotel room at Opebi, Ikeja.

The 21-year-old suspect who had also lodged in the same hotel with the deceased claimed his earlier plan was just to rob the deceased of money and other valuables to offset his hotel bill.

To achieve his mission, he had sneaked into Obot’s room with a knife to threaten her. Things however went bad when the deceased tried to struggle with him. He overpowered her stabbed  her in the stomach and slit her throat with the knife.

When Usulor who claimed to be a chef at a restaurant in Victoria Island confirmed the deceased was dead, he robbed her and made way with her phones and a total sum of N26, 000.

Speaking on how the suspect was arrested, the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Chike Oti said after a report was made to the police, crack detectives from the homicide section of SCIID visited the scene of the crime where they collected important exhibits including a CCTV footage for forensic analysis.

Oti said the analysis paid off as the suspect was arrested at his hideout in Victoria Island.  “ The State Commissioner of Police, CP Zubairu Muazu also charged the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the State Criminal Investigation And Intelligence Department (SCIID ), Panti Yaba, DCP Yetunde Longe, to leave no stone unturned in ensuring that the culprit is arrested and prosecuted.

“ Painstaking investigation however, led to the arrest of the suspect, on February 28, 2019, at his hideout in Victoria Island  Lagos.”

 “ The suspect said he was  motivated to rob the deceased to enable him offset his hotel bill having spent two days above the one day he paid for.

“ To execute his plans undetected, he claimed he sneaked into the deceased room to steal  her  money and her phones but the deceased struggled with him but was overpowered. He then stabbed her with a sharp knife on the stomach and used the same knife to slit her throat. Satisfied that the woman was dead, he  made away with her phones and a cash sum of  twenty six thousand Naira  (26,000) only.

“ Investigation revealed that the deceased was a lawyer  who came to Lagos for a business meeting and lodged in a hotel at Opebi, Ikeja,” Oti stated.

The Lagos Police Spokesperson also revealed that autopsy carried out showed the deceased died of  Exsanguination (which implies excessive loss of blood), Disruption of the left jugular vein and sharp force trauma.

Oti further stated that the suspect will be charged to court for murder, while the CP had directed that the casefile be duplicated and forwarded to the Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP) for legal advice.