A bartender, Nyagh Isaiah, has allegedly killed his colleague, Kingsley Kato, during a fight at a hotel on Ojuelegba Road, in the Surulere Local Government Area of Lagos State.
Punch Metro gathered that Isaiah and Kato were attending to customers at the bar section of the hotel when an argument bordering on a Point of Sale transaction ensued between them.
During the argument, it was learnt that the two of them engaged in a shouting match and refused several entreaties by colleagues and customers to resolve their differences amicably.
However, the argument degenerated and the co-workers engaged each other in a scuffle that later involved the use of weapons, including broken bottles.
Punch correspondent, who visited the crime scene on Monday, gathered from their colleague, who refused to disclose his name over the fear of losing his job, that when Isaiah and Kato started fighting, they initially did not make use of any weapon.
The colleague explained that it was during the fight that they both fell on empty bottles which broke and injured them at different parts of their bodies.
He said, “Both of them are from the same village. They were attending to customers when an argument started between them. I don’t know the cause of the argument that made both of them start engaging in a fight.
“As they were fighting, they both fell on empty bottles and the bottles broke. They continued fighting as they were rolling on the broken bottles and it pierced various parts of their bodies.
“One of them sustained injuries in the neck and chest, and the other person also sustained injuries in the stomach and other parts of his body. But the one that sustained injuries in the neck and chest was rushed to hospital where doctors confirmed him dead.”
The colleague said the matter was reported at the Surulere Police Division, adding that Isaiah was handed over to the police for prosecution.
A yet-to-be-identified customer, whom our correspondent met at the pub alongside other customers, said the management of the hotel summoned an emergency meeting as a result of the events that claimed Kato’s life.
He said, “As I speak with you, the general manager of the hotel came from another branch to this place to hold a meeting with workers at the hotel today.
I witnessed the general manager blaming the workers for not even calling the security officials when both of them started fighting.
“This place is a very busy place at night because a lot of people usually come here to have fun. Some customers usually come to have drinks, while some visit to patronise prostitutes.”
However, a source in the hotel said the argument that degenerated into a fight between Isaiah and Kato was based on a dispute over a PoS transaction.
The source explained that no one anticipated that the fight would take a tragic turn, adding that the families of the duo who hailed from the same village had been contacted and were en route to Lagos State over the matter.
Contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed the incident.
He said, “The command has commenced an investigation into the matter. Cultism is a menace we are tackling headlong.”
