A well-known hairstylist and skit maker, Austin Bature, has sadly lost his life after being attacked by people suspected to be cultists.
The tragic incident happened in Lakowe, a community in the Ibeju-Lekki Local Government Area of Lagos State. According to reports, the suspected cultists stormed the area in the early hours of last Thursday, looking specifically for Austin.
When they found his house, they forcefully dragged him out of his room. Sadly, they attacked him with dangerous weapons and hacked him to death right there on the spot. Witnesses said the attackers also went as far as cutting off one of his hands before leaving the scene.
A resident who spoke with Punch newspaper, but begged to remain anonymous for fear of his own safety, explained that there was a strange commotion in the community that morning. At first, no one knew what was going on. It was only later in the morning that people discovered a lifeless body lying in the area.
When we got closer, we saw that it was Austin’s body. His hand had been cut off, and that was when we realized that the loud noise we heard earlier was connected to the attack, the resident said.
Another community member also shared that Austin may have had a feeling that his life was in danger. According to him, the young man had posted a disturbing and cryptic farewell message on his WhatsApp status a day before he was killed.
Austin was a very popular hairstylist. He was good at his work and many people knew him. Aside from being a hairstylist, he was also a skit maker and had a lot of entertainers as friends. Some people close to him said that he somehow knew he was going to die soon, because of the strange message he posted online before the incident, the resident added.
The shocking news of Austin Bature’s death has thrown the Lakowe community into mourning. Many people who knew him are still struggling to come to terms with the cruel way he was killed.
