By Emmanuel Daniji

A Nigerian man identified simply as Basit has been beaten to death by a mob on Lagos Island, Lagos State, following an alleged hit-and-run incident.

Basit, who had reportedly returned to Nigeria from abroad ahead of his wedding, was said to have been attacked by residents after allegedly knocking down a man in the Patey area of the community.

The incident reportedly occurred on Wednesday night.

According to residents, Basit was driving through the area when he allegedly hit a male pedestrian who was attempting to cross the road.

He was said to have driven away instead of stopping after the incident, prompting residents to give chase.

Basit was eventually caught and reportedly attacked by the mob.

A resident who witnessed the incident but spoke anonymously for security reasons said the incident happened around Freeman Street.

“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 into 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,” the resident said.

Another resident, Afolabi Lawal, said the mob attacked Basit with sticks and bottles, leaving him with severe injuries.

“He was hit on the head with sticks and bottles, which caused him to sustain a head injury. He went unconscious and later died,” Lawal said.

The attackers reportedly fled after realising that Basit was no longer responding.

What makes the incident particularly tragic is that Basit was reportedly only about two weeks away from his wedding.

He had returned to Nigeria from abroad ahead of the ceremony, but his planned celebration has now been replaced by mourning.

The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Adebisi, could not be reached for comment as of the time of filing this report. Calls to her telephone line went unanswered, while a text message sent to her had yet to receive a response.

However, a police source confirmed that arrests had been made 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 said.

The circumstances surrounding the alleged hit-and-run and the subsequent mob attack are expected to form part of the police investigation.