A 37-year-old man identified as Ziaulihak Zakari, also known as “Abuja,” has allegedly confessed to receiving N500,000 to carry out an acid attack on a woman in Lagos State.
The victim, Olorunseunfunmi Awosogbon, sustained severe injuries to her head, chest, and hands in the attack, which occurred on October 25, 2025, in the Lakowe area of the state.
According to reports, Awosogbon had gone to fulfil a home service appointment arranged through the spa where she works. The booking was made for Lakowe Golf Gate near Utmost Care Hospital, where the incident reportedly took place. Investigators later discovered that she was allegedly not the intended target.
The victim’s employer, Olorunmaye Ifeoluwa, said the attack was linked to a dispute arising from a brief romantic relationship she previously had with another suspect alleged to have coordinated the assault. She stated that the relationship lasted only a few months and was marked by repeated disagreements before it ended.
Zakari and another suspect, Owolabi Daniel, have since been arraigned before a Magistrate Court in Ebute-Metta on charges including conspiracy, threat to life, and causing grievous bodily harm.
In a video reportedly obtained by journalists, Zakari allegedly admitted that he was recruited through a security guard and later realised that he had targeted the wrong person.
“There is a man named Daniel who contacted me through a security guard and told me he had a job. When he said he needed someone to pour acid on a person, I agreed,” he said.
“I couldn’t carry it out the first time because I was scared. When another opportunity came, I mistook the target and attacked the wrong person. The acid was provided by the man and the security guard. I was paid N500,000 for the job and gave the security guard N50,000 for linking me up,” he added, expressing remorse over the incident.
According to the charge sheet, prosecutors allege that the suspects conspired in October 2025 in Lakowe, Ibeju-Lekki, to commit offences including threats to life and causing grievous harm, in violation of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
The charges further state that Daniel allegedly sent threatening WhatsApp messages to Ifeoluwa, while Zakari is accused of unlawfully injuring Awosogbon by pouring a corrosive substance on her.
