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Two teenagers were killed and another person injured when armed robbers attacked a barbershop in the Cele Nica community, Ojo Local Government Area of Lagos State.
The victims, identified simply as Chijindu and Akorede, were shot dead on Saturday night, October 4, while getting a haircut at a shop located on Abengo Close.
According to residents, the robbers — numbering about three — stormed the area around 9 p.m. and headed straight into the shop to rob its occupants.
Witnesses said that after hearing gunshots, residents rushed to the scene and found the barber and the two teenagers lying in a pool of blood.
One resident, Duuni Olafeso, told Punch that while the barber survived the attack, Akorede and Chijindu did not.
She said, “The robbers were about three. According to the injured barber, who is currently receiving treatment at an undisclosed hospital, two of them came in pretending to be customers and immediately ordered everyone to lie down.
“They collected his money and phones, but when they asked Chijindu for his belongings, he told them he only had ₦1,000 for his haircut. That angered the third robber, who was at the entrance, and he ordered his colleagues to ‘waste them’.
“The barber said the bullets hit all three of them, but he pretended to be dead after being shot in the back.”
Olafeso added that Akorede died on the spot, while Chijindu and the barber were rushed to the hospital, where Chijindu later passed away.
Chijindu’s employer, Ugochukwu, who installs solar panels, told the publication that they had just returned from a work trip outside Lagos earlier that day.
He said, “Chijindu was one of my apprentices. We came back from a job trip on Saturday morning, and in the evening, he went out to get a haircut. I was at home when a neighbour rushed in to tell me he had been shot.
“I went to the scene and met him and the others in a pool of blood. I quickly got my car and took him to the hospital, while the barbershop owner took the barber. The doctors tried their best, but Chijindu died around midnight.”
Describing the deceased as hardworking and responsible, Ugochukwu added, “I feel like a part of me is gone.”
Another resident, who pleaded anonymity, described Chijindu as the breadwinner of his family.
“His father died when he was seven, and he just turned 18. His mother has been struggling to take care of him and his siblings. Since he started learning solar installation, he had been supporting the family financially. They relied on him for most things. But after his death, his mother couldn’t cope and has since left the community,” the resident said.
