A young man identified as Azeez has died after he was allegedly beaten by suspected cultists following a dispute over a missing phone in Oko-Oba, Agege area of Lagos State. A police source said the incident occurred on Monday, Aug. 3, after Azeez and some colleagues argued over the phone following a party.

According to the source, the disagreement escalated into an assault by some suspected cultists said to be Azeez’s friends. “We got a report that he passed away as a result of an assault on him by some suspected cultists said to be his friends,” the source said, adding that Azeez later succumbed to the injuries he sustained.

An anti-cultism advocacy platform, Naija Confra, provided additional details, saying the incident began during a birthday celebration on Sunday night, Aug. 2. The platform alleged that Abela gave the missing phone to Azeez after a fight broke out, but the phone’s owner later confronted him after finding it in his possession. Azeez reportedly said Abela had handed it to him, a claim Abela allegedly denied.

Naija Confra further alleged that the dispute continued after the party, leading to another confrontation between Azeez and Abela, who was described as an NBM leader and Azeez’s superior. It claimed Azeez was later taken to another location by suspected members of the Neo-Black Movement and assaulted. Lagos police spokesperson Abimbola Adebisi could not be reached for comment, while a text message sent to her had not been answered when the report was filed.