[VIDEO] ‘We were hostages for an hour, attacker said slain victim was his target,’ lady recounts Lekki Filmhouse attack
A woman who was at Filmhouse Cinemas IMAX in Lekki, Lagos, has recounted her experience during the violent attack that occurred at the cinema’s car park.
TheCable Lifestyle had reported that two people were killed on Saturday after a machete-wielding man attacked a security personnel and another individual at the premises.
The motive behind the attack remains unclear.
In a video that has gone viral, the woman said moviegoers were trapped for about an hour after two armed men blocked the only exit, forcing people to seek shelter in bathrooms.
She said the attackers moved around with weapons and stabbed one man. According to her, it took nearly 35 minutes before a vehicle was found to take the injured victim to a nearby hospital.
She further claimed that the victim eventually died after people who tried to help removed the knife from his chest, causing him to lose more blood.
“Last night I went to Lekki Phase One to watch a movie. Around 1am, we were held hostage by two armed men. The attackers blocked the only entry, so we were forced to run into the bathrooms and pray. I have not known fear like that in my life. These men were trigger happy. The entire ordeal lasted about an hour,” she said.
“These men were swinging weapons up and down, sliding into people. They actually stabbed one man. He was unalived in the process. It took nearly 35 minutes to get one good Samaritan to provide the car to transport that man to the nearest hospital.
“At this point, he had already bled out. Because innocent passers-by pulled out the knife in his chest, thinking it could save his life. But he bled out.”
The woman also raised concerns about the lack of emergency exits, emergency response services and police presence at the location.
“No emergency exit. No emergency services. No law enforcement to come to our rescue. On top of that, nobody knew what to do in the event of a stab wound. Nobody knew not to pull out that knife cost the life of that man,” she added.
She claimed that the attacker later identified the deceased victim as his intended target.
“When they eventually caught the attacker, he mentioned that that particular man was his target.”
Filmhouse had earlier expressed sadness over the incident and said an investigation was ongoing.
The company also praised the deceased victims for their bravery, saying their actions helped contain the situation and restore safety.