‘We Were Hostages for An Hour, Attacker Said Slain Victim was His Target’ — Lady Narrates Lekki Filmhouse Incident

A female cinemagoer has narrated her ordeal following a violent attack at the car park of Filmhouse Cinemas IMAX in the Lekki area of Lagos state.

TheCable Lifestyle had reported how two people were killed on Saturday after a machete-weilding man attacked a security personnel of the organisation and another individual at the premises.

The motive for the attack, however, remains unknown.

In a now-viral video, the lady recounted how movie watchers were held hostage for about an hour after two armed men blocked the only exit, forcing many to hide in bathrooms.

According to her, the attackers swung weapons indiscriminately and stabbed one man, adding that it took nearly 35 minutes to get a vehicle to transport the victim to the nearest hospital.

She claimed that one of the victims died from a stab wound after passers-by unknowingly removed the knife from his chest, causing him to bleed out.

“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.”

She also lamented the absence of emergency exits, emergency services, and law enforcement 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,” he added.

“When they eventually caught the attacker, he mentioned that that particular man was his target.”

Filmhouse earlier expressed sadness over the incident and confirmed that an investigation is underway.

The entertainment firm also commended the deceased individuals for their bravery, stating that their actions helped contain the situation and restore safety.