Friday night at IMAX Cinemas, Lekki, started like any other. People were buying popcorn, taking selfies, and waiting for their movies. Within minutes, that calm turned into chaos.
A man carrying a machete and a knife tried to walk into the cinema. Security guards at the gate stopped him. Witnesses said the man looked lost, and many believed he was on drugs. When the guards refused him entry, he snapped, Vanguard Newspaper reported.
What followed was deadly. The Lagos State Police Command said the man attacked and stabbed one guard to death, and left another guard injured.
Before police could fully respond, an angry crowd surrounded the suspect. The man, described as looking homeless, was beaten by the mob and died at the scene.
Giving an update, police spokesperson SP Adebisi Abimbola confirmed the toll to Vanguard Newspaper:
“Two people have been confirmed dead. We are investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident.”
She said detectives are still trying to identify the attacker and to trace exactly how the night turned violent. The Chief Security Officer of the cinema has also been taken in to help with questioning.
Investigators are now reviewing CCTV footage from the cinema to understand how the man got to the entrance with weapons, and to find out if anyone helped him.
Police promised a full probe into the incident and said every detail around the two deaths will be made public.
As of press time, the names of those who died have not been released. The police also did not give an update on the injured guard. The investigation continues.