Mob Burns Suspected Thief with Hot Oil in Lagos Market

A man is battling for his life after he was reportedly attacked and scalded with hot oil by a mob for allegedly stealing a bottle of groundnut oil in a market close to the Alakara Police Station in the Mushin area of Lagos State.

The incident, which occurred on Friday, was confirmed by residents of the area, who said the man had posed as a customer before he was caught attempting to steal from one of the shops.

“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,” a resident who asked not to be named explained.

The victim, said to be unidentified at the time of the incident, was reportedly abandoned near the market in critical condition after the attack. Days later, concerned residents raised the alarm over his deteriorating state.

One of them, Omoluabi Ifeoluwa, disclosed that he found the man lying in a gutter near the Alakara Police Station without any medical care.

“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,” Ifeoluwa stated in a message shared on a community WhatsApp platform.

He further explained that an ambulance from the Lagos State Emergency Services was mobilised to the scene.

“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.”

According to him, after the initial cleanup, the first general hospital refused to admit the man and advised a transfer to Gbagada General Hospital.

“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 in charge of Alakara Division, Enyinna Nwankudu, confirmed that his officers were involved in efforts to recover the man.

“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,” Nwankudu said.