Two people have been confirmed dead following an attack at a cinema in Lekki, Lagos State, after a man allegedly armed with a machete and knife stormed the facility.
The incident occurred on Friday night, triggering panic among cinema patrons and workers.
According to eyewitnesses, the suspect attempted to gain access to the cinema but was stopped by security personnel.
He allegedly became violent after being denied entry and attacked the security guards.
The spokesperson for the Lagos State Police Command, SP Adebisi Abimbola, confirmed the incident to Vanguard on Saturday.
She said the suspect allegedly stabbed one of the security guards to death and injured another security personnel.
According to the police spokesperson, the suspect was subsequently mobbed and died in the process.
“Two people have been confirmed dead,” Adebisi said.
She said the identities of the deceased and the circumstances surrounding the incident were still being investigated.
Adebisi added that the suspect appeared to be destitute and was suspected to have been under the influence of drugs during the incident.
The police spokesperson also disclosed that the Chief Security Officer of the cinema had been taken into custody as part of the investigation.
She said the command was working to obtain and review the cinema’s closed-circuit television footage to establish the sequence of events.
According to her, the CCTV footage would also help investigators determine whether anyone else was involved in the incident.
The police have commenced an investigation into the attack and the circumstances surrounding the two deaths.
As of the time of filing this report, the police had not released the identities of the deceased or provided further details on the condition of the injured security personnel.
The investigation is ongoing.
