Two people were killed following a machete attack at the car park of Filmhouse Cinemas IMAX in Lekki, Lagos, in the early hours of Saturday.
Filmhouse Cinemas confirmed the incident in a statement issued later that day, saying the attack occurred outside the cinema premises and was not connected to its regular operations.
According to reports, a man armed with a machete attacked a security officer and another individual at the location. The two victims reportedly confronted the attacker and prevented him from gaining access to the cinema.
Buchi Laba, a sports journalist and eyewitness, said in a post on X that one of the victims suffered a stab wound to the chest while the other was wounded in the back. He added that one of the victims died while being taken to the hospital.
Filmhouse Group expressed sadness over the incident and said it was working with the relevant authorities, who are investigating the attack.
The company also praised the victims for their actions, saying they placed themselves between the attacker and people under their care and helped prevent the situation from escalating.
> “Filmhouse Group is deeply saddened by a security incident that took place outside the premises, in the car park of one of our locations, in the early hours of this morning,” the company said.
The company said it had increased security measures across its locations and would continue to monitor the situation.
“The safety and wellbeing of our staff and guests remain our highest priority,” Filmhouse said.
The motive for the attack has not been established.
Efforts to obtain a comment from the Lagos State Police Command were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.
