Lagos man beaten to death over missing phone

n n

A young man identified simply as Azeez has been beaten to death by suspected cultists following a dispute over a missing phone at Oko-Oba in the Agege area of Lagos State.

n

A police source told PUNCH Metro on Sunday that the incident occurred on Monday, August 3.

n

According to the source, Azeez was involved in an argument with some of his colleagues over a missing phone after they attended a party.

n

The source said the argument later degenerated into an assault on Azeez by some of the suspected cultists, said to be his friends.

n

“We got a report that he passed away as a result of an assault on him by some suspected cultists said to be his friends. The argument was as a result of a missing phone,” the source said.

n

The source added that Azeez later succumbed to injuries sustained during the assault.

n

Meanwhile, an anti-cultism advocacy platform, Naija Confra, in a post on Saturday, gave further details of the incident, saying it began on Sunday night, August 2, during a birthday celebration.

n

According to the platform, a fight broke out at the event, during which one Abela allegedly took a phone and handed it to Azeez.

n

The platform said trouble started after the owner of the phone began searching for it.

n

It alleged that when the owner and his friends confronted Azeez after the phone was found in his possession, he told them that Abela had given him the phone to keep.

n

“Abela, who was sitting there, denied Azeez, even when people saw him. Azeez would never accuse Abela, an NBM leader who is also a boss to him, if it was not true,” the platform claimed.

n

Naija Confra further alleged that the owner of the phone and his friends, unable to confront Abela, attacked Azeez before leaving the party.

n

The platform added that Azeez later confronted Abela over his alleged denial of giving him the phone, leading to another argument and subsequent assault.

n

It alleged that Azeez was taken to another location by suspected members of the Neo-Black Movement, where the attack was carried out on him.

n

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Adebisi, could not be reached for comments as calls made to her telephone lines were not responded to.

n

A text message sent to her had yet to be replied to as of the time this report was filed.

n n