Man Shot Dead While Buying Food in Lagos Community

A yet-to-be-identified man was shot dead by gunmen while attempting to buy food at Ojo-Igbede, in the Ojo area of Lagos State.

The incident, which occurred on Saturday, July 19, has sparked fear among residents of the community.

PUNCH Metro gathered that the victim, who was reportedly new to the area, had stepped out to purchase a plate of food from a vendor when two men on a motorcycle arrived at the scene.

According to an eyewitness, the assailants—both wearing caps—approached the man while he was in line, ordered him to kneel (or lie down, as some accounts state), and then shot him in the head at close range. The attackers fled the scene immediately after the shooting, leaving the victim in a pool of blood.

“The victim is new in this area, and no one knew his name. He had only come out to buy cooked food. While he was in the queue with others, two men on a motorcycle arrived and beckoned to him. When he went closer, they asked him to lie down. At first, he refused but later complied. Then they shot him,” a witness told our correspondent.

Photos obtained by PUNCH Metro showed the lifeless body of the victim as onlookers gathered around.

An anti-cultism advocacy group on X (formerly Twitter) also commented on the incident, suggesting that the murder may be cult-related. The platform claimed that the attackers were members of the Aye cult group, although the victim’s possible affiliation remains unclear.

“Another man was killed in Ojo. Aye cultists claimed it, but there was controversy surrounding the victim’s affiliation. Sources confirmed that the victim had just moved into the area and was out buying food when he was called out and executed,” the post read.

A resident, identified only as Bode, described the incident as terrifying and said it had prompted community members to strengthen their local security measures.

“There was serious panic after the shooting. No one knows who could be next, so we’ve decided to be more vigilant and proactive with our community security,” Bode said.

Efforts to reach the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, were unsuccessful as calls to his line went unanswered. A text message sent to his phone also remained unreplied as of the time of filing this report.

This incident comes on the heels of another recent killing reported by PUNCH Metro, in which a man identified as Scoro was stabbed to death in the Lagos Island area during a public brawl linked to a property dispute. Three suspects were later arrested in connection with that case.