A man identified simply as Basit, who had just returned to Nigeria from abroad for his wedding, has been beaten to death by a mob following an alleged hit-and-run incident in the Lagos Island area of Lagos State.
PUNCH Metro learnt on Sunday that the incident occurred on Wednesday night.
It was gathered that Basit allegedly used his car to hit a male resident in the Patey area of the community.
He was said to have driven away after the incident instead of stopping, thereby prompting some residents to chase after him.
A resident privy to the incident but preferred anonymity for security reasons said, “He was coming from the other end of Freeman Street, and the incident happened when he was getting close to the other end.
“A resident was trying to cross the road when he rammed 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.”
Another resident, who identified himself simply as Afolabi Lawal, said Basit was hit with dangerous weapons as the mob beat him.
Lawal added that the attack left Basit unconscious.
Afolabi said, “He was hit with sticks and bottles on his head, which caused him to sustain a head injury. He went unconscious and later died.”
The mob, however, reportedly fled the scene after discovering that Basit had become unresponsive.
Basit’s wedding was said to be about two weeks away.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Adebisi, could not be reached for a reaction on Sunday, as calls made to her telephone line were not answered. A text message sent to her had yet to be replied to as of the time this report was filed.
Meanwhile, a police source told PUNCH Metro that some suspects had been arrested in connection with the incident.
“Some suspects have been taken into custody, and the remains of the deceased have been deposited in the morgue,” the source disclosed.
