Violence erupted on Wednesday night at a hotel in Ebute-Meta on Lagos Mainland following the murder of a Bureau De Change (BDC) operator identified simply as Mohammed.
It was gathered that Mohammed had escorted a colleague of his, also identified simply as Mohammed, to Exclusive Mansion Hotel at Ondo Street on Apapa Road to sell gold jewellery estimated at N300,000 to some clients.
Mohammed’s supposed clients, as gathered, had contacted him with the claim that they wanted to change a foreign currency and buy three-piece gold jewellery.
The dealer was to meet them at a hotel in Orile Coker or at a bank on Costain-Apapa Road, both of which he reportedly rejected.
Following persistent calls from the would-be clients, the dealer was said to have accepted to meet them at a new location, Exclusive Mansion Hotel, where he went in the company of Mohammed.
The duo were reportedly taken to a room on the last floor of the hotel and presented the jewellery to the supposed buyers, said to be two men.
But two suspected members of the gang came out of the toilet.
The four men, suspected to be fraudsters and armed robbers, were said to have descended on the merchants, hitting them with bottles and other objects.
While the dealer was said to have passed out and later resuscitated at a hospital, Mohammed reportedly died on the spot.
A resident, Ishola Agbodemu, said news of the attack got to their colleagues around 8 p.m and they invaded the hotel.
He said: “What happened was that the BDC operator and his friends were attacked by supposed clients they went to transact business with. I was among those who intervened. He was rushed to the hospital, where he was resuscitated.
“The criminals killed his friend, whose name is also Mohammed. According to the victim, the people have been calling him since 12 p.m to come with three pieces of gold necklaces and an anklet at a hotel in Orile-Coker. He said he refused to go and then, they changed the location to a bank on Apapa-Costain Road, which he also refused to go.
“Around 5 p.m, they called again that he should come to Exclusive Mansion Hotel on Ondo Street. So, he went with his friend and they were taken to a room on the last floor.
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“While they were in the room and had brought out the items, one of the men opened the toilet door and two others came into the room. They started hitting the traders with bottles. That was how his friend died on the spot.
“He passed out and was revived at the Federal Medical Centre at Railway Compound. Around 8 p.m, the news of Mohammed’s death reached the Hausa community in Ebute-Meta and they mobilised to the hotel.
“They broke into the premises, chased lodgers out and vandalised the hotel. It took the intervention of the Area “C” Police Command, Denton Police Division, voluntary vigilance groups and community leaders to restore calm.”
Also, hooded armed men early Wednesday attacked a carpenter, Busari Ikusanu, at his Dawudu Lane, Ilogbo, Ebute-Meta home.
The carpenter was reportedly macheted around 1.45 a.m when four masked men broke into his home.
Although it was unclear if the attackers robbed Ikusanu of any valuable, it was gathered that the victim sustained head and arm injuries.
Agbodemu, who decried insecurity in the neighbourhood, claimed the residents had reported the activities of a group of hooded men to the police and were yet to get any result.
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“The state of insecurity has been our concern for a long time. I have written series of letters to the Lagos State Police Command. We have reported the activities of this particular group of hooded men but nothing has been done,” he said.
Police spokesman Chike Oti, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), said three suspects were arrested in connection with the kiling at the hotel.
Oti said: “We were alerted about the incident by the hotel management and our operatives swiftly responded to the distress to avoid escalation.
“Already, three suspects are in our custody. I cannot say whether they are part of the group that attacked the traders or not. Investigation is ongoing and I can assure that more suspects would be apprehended.
“On the man (who was attacked at his home by masked men, we have no record of it. No one incidented such a compliant.”B