A man identified simply as Opeyemi has drowned in a river in the Agility area of Mile 12, Lagos State, after he was allegedly chased by suspected cultists.
A police source told The Punch that the incident occurred on Saturday, September 12.
According to the source, Opeyemi was heading out to buy an item when some individuals allegedly started pursuing him.
The source said the men eventually caught up with him and allegedly attacked him, prompting him to jump into the river in an attempt to escape.
A resident said, “We got a report that he was being chased by some people suspected to be cultists who caught him and attacked him before he jumped into the river.
“Some people wanted to rescue him, but those chasing him prevented them from doing so.”
Opeyemi was later reported to have drowned in the river.
However, an anti-cultism advocacy platform, Naija Confra, presented another version of events in a post seen by PUNCH Metro on Sunday.
The platform said some residents claimed Opeyemi was under the influence of a substance and jumped into the river by himself, while others who said they witnessed the incident alleged that he was pursued and attacked.
The post read, “While a few residents claimed that Opeyemi was high on a substance and jumped into the river, others said it was not true.
“Others who claimed to have witnessed the incident stated that Opeyemi was on his way to buy drugs when he was chased by some people who caught and attacked him, before he jumped into the river. They claimed that even when people tried to save him, the attackers prevented them from saving him.
“Opeyemi was described as very nice, good, and hardworking.”
The exact circumstances surrounding Opeyemi’s death remained uncertain as of the time of filing this report, with the conflicting accounts yet to be independently verified.
When contacted for comment on Sunday, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Adebisi, said she would revert.
She had yet to do so as of the time of filing this report.
