How Mrs Feyisayo Obot Was Murdered, By Mogaji Wole Arisekola

In January 2019, Mrs. Feyisayo Obot, a 34-year-old lawyer and mother of two, traveled from Abuja to Lagos to take a project management examination. She checked into Room 501 at CityHeights Hotel in Ikeja, unaware that her life was about to be brutally cut short by a fellow hotel guest.

On January 26, the day she was scheduled to return to Abuja, her husband waited at the airport to receive her. When her flight failed to arrive, he attempted to reach her by phone, but all her lines were switched off. Concerned, he contacted Feyisayo’s sister-in-law in Lagos, who then informed her husband, Afolabi, about the situation. Shortly afterward, Afolabi received a distressing call from Feyisayo’s colleague, claiming she had been found unconscious in her hotel room.

Unknown to her family, “unconscious” was a tragic understatement.

Afolabi rushed to the hotel. Upon arrival, he was greeted by somber faces. Police officers from the Ikeja Division had already been notified. They were led to Room 501, where they discovered Feyisayo lying face down on the bed, covered with a duvet. Her throat had been slit, and her body bore multiple injuries. She was pronounced dead at the scene, and her remains were transferred to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital mortuary.

Surveillance footage from the hotel later revealed how the crime unfolded. On the morning of January 26, at about 7:29 AM, a young male guest staying in Room 311 on the third floor took the elevator to the fifth floor. He lingered in the hallway until the coast was clear, then approached Room 501 and knocked twice. The door was opened, and he entered. Just nine minutes later, he fled back to his room.

The suspect had used a false identity, registering as “Adedeji Ayodele.” Police later uncovered his real name: Joshua Usulor. Bloodstains found in his hotel room, including in the shower and on the bedsheets, linked him directly to the crime. Hotel staff on duty at the time were detained for questioning.

Joshua had checked into the hotel using a fake name, claiming to be a 23-year-old student. He paid N30,000 for one night. When confronted later about an outstanding bill of N42,000, he surrendered two mobile phones — a Samsung and an iPhone — as collateral, promising to return with cash. He never did. It was only after his departure that the hotel realized a guest had been murdered.

Police tracked him using a phone he had abandoned at the hotel. After weeks of investigation, Joshua was apprehended on February 28, 2019, at the Intercontinental Hotel. He was lured there by officers posing as potential employers offering a job interview. Upon seeing the police, he confessed immediately.

During his formal statement at the State Criminal Investigation Department, Joshua described how he met Feyisayo, exchanged room numbers, and gained entry to her room by pretending to be a hotel staff member. Inside, he saw N27,000 on a table and demanded more money. When she explained that her employer had paid for her stay, he attacked her with a knife, killing her.

Joshua later attempted to shift blame, claiming someone he had a business dispute with had sent him to kill Feyisayo. Police interrogated the man he named, who denied any involvement. Joshua admitted he had lied in an attempt to settle a financial score over N900,000. Officers were outraged by his manipulation.

While in custody, Joshua began claiming that Feyisayo’s spirit haunted him. He suffered intense psychological distress, prompting police to take him to the hospital for treatment. He reportedly became unconscious due to the alleged spiritual torment.

When the case was brought before Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo at the Ikeja Special Offences Court, Joshua faced a potential death sentence under Lagos State law. However, his legal team proposed a plea bargain — he would plead guilty in exchange for a reduced sentence.

Initially, the Director of Public Prosecutions rejected the deal, but later approved a 21-year prison term starting from the date of Joshua’s arrest. Justice Taiwo found the sentence too lenient and increased it to 30 years. After pleas from Joshua’s lawyer, citing his youth and remorse, the sentence was reduced to 28 years.

During sentencing, the judge asked why he committed the murder. Joshua replied, “It was a mistake. I don’t know what came over me.” The judge sternly responded that his “mistake” cost a woman her life.

Feyisayo’s family was devastated — not only by her brutal death but also by the legal process. They were not informed of the plea bargain and only discovered the final judgment through the media. Her brother, Afolabi, questioned why such leniency was granted in a murder case. He argued that premeditated murder should carry either life imprisonment or the death penalty, not a negotiated sentence.

Legal experts echoed his sentiment, condemning the plea deal as an abuse of the judicial process. They advised the family to petition the Lagos State Attorney General for a review of the case.

At the time of this report, it is unclear whether any appeal has been filed.

Mrs. Feyisayo Obot’s life was taken by senseless violence. And while her killer now sits behind bars, many believe justice was not fully served.