KEY POINTS

• Lagos labourers found dead in suspected machete attack.

• Residents fear cult clashes may be linked to killings.

• Security in Lekki community has been tightened following incident.

Three male labourers were discovered dead on Sunday in a makeshift apartment along Olateju Street in the Lekki Phase One area of Lagos, sending shockwaves through the community and raising concerns over security in one of the state’s most prominent neighborhoods.

Residents said the men, who were not immediately identified, earned their living from casual work and errands in the neighborhood.

They reportedly lived together in a temporary structure built on the premises of a residential building, where the attack occurred in the early hours of the morning.

Lagos labourers found dead in suspected machete attack

According to a resident who identified himself only as Alfred, the victims were asleep when unknown attackers stormed their room. The assailants allegedly dragged them outside before hacking them to death.

“They were lying in a pool of blood with machete cuts all over their bodies,” Alfred said. He added that the men were well known in the area as casual workers, and their deaths stunned locals who knew them personally.

Another resident, a member of the Lekki Estate Residents Association who declined to be named, said the killings created panic among homeowners. “No such incident has ever been recorded on this street. Security measures are now being stepped up,” the resident explained.

Lagos labourers found dead over cult clash fears

The motive for the killings remains unclear, though multiple community sources suggested the attack may be linked to cult clashes or a personal dispute.

Accoridng to Punch, the Lagos State Police Command has not provided confirmation, as calls to spokesman CSP Benjamin Hundeyin were unanswered and a text message had not been returned at the time of filing.

The murders follow a similar case in August, when a skit maker known simply as Austin was hacked to death in his home in Lakowe, Ibeju-Lekki. In that incident, suspected cultists allegedly dragged him from his room before killing him. The repetition of such violent attacks has intensified worries about the spread of cult-related violence in Lagos’ coastal communities.