A man identified simply as Basit has been beaten to death by a mob in the Lagos Island area of Lagos State, weeks after returning to Nigeria from abroad for his wedding.
Basit was reportedly attacked on Wednesday night following an alleged hit-and-run incident in the Patey area of Lagos Island.
According to residents, the deceased was driving along the area when his vehicle allegedly struck a man attempting to cross the road.
Rather than stop after the incident, Basit was said to have driven away, prompting some residents to pursue him until he was caught.
A resident familiar with the incident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the mob descended on Basit after apprehending him.
The resident said, “He was coming from the other end of Freeman Street when the incident happened. A resident was trying to cross the road when he was hit by the vehicle.
“People expected him to stop after the incident, but he drove away. He was later chased and caught before the mob attacked him.”
Another resident, Afolabi Lawal, said the mob members allegedly used sticks and bottles to assault Basit, particularly targeting his head.
“He was hit with sticks and bottles on his head, which caused serious injuries. He became unconscious and later died,” Lawal stated.
The attackers reportedly fled after realising that Basit had become unresponsive.
The deceased was said to have returned to Nigeria from abroad in preparation for his wedding, which was reportedly scheduled to take place in about two weeks.
A police source confirmed that some suspects had been arrested in connection with the incident.
The source said, “Some suspects have been taken into custody, and the remains of the deceased have been deposited in the morgue.”
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Adebisi, could not be reached for comment as calls to her telephone were unanswered. A text message sent to her had also not received a response as of the time of filing this report.
The incident has again raised concerns over the growing resort to mob action in resolving disputes, with security experts and authorities repeatedly warning residents against taking the law into their own hands.