An unidentified man is currently in critical condition after being attacked by a mob who poured hot oil on him for allegedly stealing groundnut oil at a market located near Alakara Police Station in Mushin, Lagos State.
The incident reportedly occurred on Friday, according to PUNCH Metro.
A resident, who asked not to be named due to personal reasons, informed the reporter on Monday that the man had posed as a customer and attempted to steal a bottle of groundnut oil from a market stall before he was caught.
The mob, angered by the theft, reportedly heated some of the stolen oil and poured it onto the man’s back.
“He pretended to be a customer, and while the owner of the shop was busy attending to others, he lifted a bottle of groundnut oil and left. He did not know he was sighted by another trader. That was how he was approached and caught with the product. He was stripped naked and beaten by the mob, who then decided to heat the groundnut oil and poured it on his back while he was lying down,” the source recounted.
The man was later found unconscious and severely burned, left abandoned close to the market area.
One concerned resident, Omoluabi Ifeoluwa, who helped raise awareness about the man’s condition, said he was found lying in a gutter not far from the police station without any medical help.
Ifeoluwa, who shared the development via a community WhatsApp group, explained that he was alerted through a distress call and took steps to contact both health and police authorities.
“On receiving a distress call, I was informed that a seemingly lifeless body had been lying in a gutter near Alakara Police Station along Agege Motor Road for over two days without attention. Upon verification of this disturbing report, I promptly contacted the following officials for immediate action: Medical Officer of Health, Mushin Local Government. Supervisor for Health, Mushin Local Government and Divisional Police Officer, Alakara Police Station,” he wrote.
“Following this, I arranged for an ambulance through the Lagos State Emergency Services, and we proceeded swiftly to the location. On arrival, we found a man in an extremely critical and unhygienic condition.” He added that witnesses alleged the man was caught trying to steal groundnut oil and that the mob poured the oil on him before abandoning him.
He said the victim was cleaned up and taken to a general hospital, which then refused to admit him.
“We were advised to transfer him to Gbagada General Hospital for further care. Unfortunately, due to a lack of further support, medical acceptance, or guidance, I was unable to continue with the process. With no clear path forward and without institutional assistance, I was left with no choice but to let him go,” Ifeoluwa said.
When contacted, the Divisional Police Officer, Enyinna Nwankudu, confirmed that officers had taken steps to assist the victim.
“When we saw him, we contacted the local government officials and health workers who came to remove him from inside the drainage. He was initially thought to be dead, but he was not. He has been taken care of.”
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