Lagos: Mob beats man to death days before wedding
A man identified as Basit was killed by a mob in the Lagos Island area of Lagos State following an alleged hit-and-run incident.
The fatal event occurred Wednesday night as Basit, who had recently returned to Nigeria in preparation for his wedding, was said to have struck a male pedestrian in the Patey area of the community.
Witnesses reported that after the collision, Basit did not stop; instead, he drove away, prompting local residents to pursue him. He was eventually caught, leading to a violent attack by a mob.
According to an anonymous resident who observed the incident, Basit was approaching the intersection of Freeman Street when he hit a man who was crossing the road. The resident noted that onlookers expected Basit to stop, but he continued driving.
“He was coming from the other end of Freeman Street, and the incident happened when he was getting close to the other end,” the resident said. “A resident was trying to cross the road when he rammed into him. The moment it happened, people thought he would wait, but he did not. He was later chased and caught before the mob descended on him.”
A second resident, Afolabi Lawal, described the brutality of the attack, stating that Basit was struck with sticks and bottles, causing a head injury that left him unconscious.
“He was hit on the head with sticks and bottles, which caused him to sustain a head injury. He went unconscious and later died,” Lawal said.
Following the attack, members of the mob reportedly fled the scene when they realized that Basit was unresponsive. At the time of his death, Basit was approximately two weeks from his wedding.
The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Adebisi, could not be reached for comment on Sunday, as calls to her phone went unanswered and a text message had not received a response. However, a police source confirmed that arrests have been made in relation to the incident.
“Some suspects have been taken into custody, and the remains of the deceased have been deposited in the morgue,” the source disclosed.
