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A man identified as ‘Lion of Lagos’ whose image reportedly circulated on social media about a decade ago following an alleged theft at an event in Lagos has been linked to fresh accusations of stealing photographers’ equipment, after another incident at the Oriental Hotel reignited accounts of previous victims.
The latest incident occurred on October 31, when an event planner, identified on X as @deeeeoflagos, alleged that her bag containing a MacBook Pro M1 and four external hard drives was stolen from the bride’s room during a wedding ceremony at the Oriental Hotel, Lagos.
The bag reportedly contained photographs and other materials from about five weddings that were yet to be delivered to the couples.
After obtaining CCTV footage showing the individual allegedly entering the hotel, going into the room and leaving with the bag, the victim took to social media to seek help in identifying him.
She also announced a ₦500,000 reward for credible information that could lead to his identification and the recovery of her belongings.
However, as the footage circulated online, other social media users began sharing accounts of previous encounters with a man they claimed was the same individual.
One of them, an X user identified as @Kunle_kenny, said he had experienced a similar incident about 10 years ago at an event organised by Professor Pat Utomi at the MUSON Centre in Lagos.
According to him, the individual allegedly stole a bag containing his work materials during the event but was eventually caught.
He said the incident attracted attention at the time, with the suspect’s photograph reportedly appearing on the Rapid Response Squad (RRS), Ikeja’s social media page.
Reacting to the latest CCTV footage, @Kunle_kenny expressed frustration that the individual allegedly linked to the earlier incident had resurfaced in another theft allegation.
He claimed that the suspect had stolen equipment worth tens of millions of naira over the years.
The account was followed by another allegation from an Instagram user, @anonymousvisuals, who claimed that two of his laptops were stolen at the Oriental Hotel in August 2023.
Recounting his experience, the photographer alleged that the individual presented himself as a photographer, wearing a camera around his neck, before taking advantage of the situation to steal his equipment.
According to him, the suspect allegedly picked up his bag while he was occupied with work, took the two laptops to a toilet, removed them and left the premises.
He said he subsequently used Apple’s Find My feature to track the laptops, which reportedly showed their location around Ojuelegba, although he could not establish their precise whereabouts.
The photographer also alleged that members of his crew later noticed the individual in some photographs taken during the event, apparently attempting to conceal his face.
The renewed allegations have raised questions about security at major event venues in Lagos, particularly how individuals who are not part of event crews gain access to rooms and areas where photographers and other vendors keep their equipment.
Meanwhile, the latest victim announced on Thursday, November 5, that all her stolen belongings had been recovered.
However, she disclosed that the files on the storage devices had been formatted, although she remained hopeful that the wedding photographs and videos could still be retrieved.
The recovery has brought some relief to the victim, but the circumstances surrounding the suspect’s whereabouts remain unclear.
