Tension gripped residents of the Sangotedo area of Lagos State after a shawarma vendor identified simply as Andy was shot dead by suspected cultists in a late-evening attack.
The incident reportedly threw the community into panic as the assailants fled immediately after carrying out the attack.
Sources familiar with the development told reporters on Monday that the deceased was attending to customers at his shawarma stand when armed men, said to have disguised as buyers, suddenly opened fire on him at close range.
A police source disclosed that the attackers allegedly approached the victim under the pretence of purchasing food before pulling out guns and shooting him in the head.
“The suspects reportedly came as customers who wanted to buy shawarma. While the victim was attending to them, they suddenly brought out firearms and shot him before escaping from the scene,” the source said.
The source added that police operatives later arrived at the location and evacuated the victim’s body after finding him lying in a pool of blood.
Although suspicion has trailed cult-related violence, the police source noted that investigations were still ongoing to determine the exact motive behind the killing.
Meanwhile, an anti-cultism advocacy platform, Confra Naija, alleged in a social media post that the attack was linked to cult activities.
The group described the deceased, popularly known as “Aboki De Junior,” as a peaceful and hardworking businessman from Benue State.
According to the platform, armed men invaded his shawarma stand around the ShopRite area in Sangotedo and shot him dead before fleeing.
The post further claimed that members of the Eiye confraternity later took responsibility for the attack, though the claim has yet to be officially confirmed by security authorities.
A video attached to the post showed sympathisers and residents gathered around the victim’s lifeless body, while some mourners openly wept at the scene.
A woman believed to be related to the deceased was also seen crying uncontrollably while holding onto the body.
Efforts to get a reaction from the spokesperson for the Lagos State Police Command, CSP Abimbola Adebisi, proved unsuccessful as calls and messages sent to her phone line were not responded to as of the time of filing this report.
Lagos has witnessed recurring incidents of cult-related violence in recent years, particularly in communities around the Lekki-Ajah corridor, Ikorodu, Mushin and parts of the Lagos Mainland, where rival groups have frequently clashed over supremacy battles.
In August 2025, a shawarma vendor was similarly shot dead by suspected cultists in the Mowo area along the Badagry Expressway.