Kingsley Kato, a fellow bartender, was allegedly slain by Nyagh Isaiah during a brawl at a hotel on Ojuelegba Road in the Surulere Local Government Area of Lagos State.
Punch claims that as Isaiah and Kato were serving patrons at the hotel's bar, a dispute that had the makings of a Point of Sale transaction broke out bETween them.
According to reports, the two were having a yelling war and had turned down numerous requests from coworkers and clients to settle their issues amicably.
But as the dispute progressed, the coworkers started fighting, eventually resorting to the use of weapons like broken bottles.
One of their coworkers, who would not provide his name out of concern for his employment, told the publication that when Isaiah and Kato first started fighting, they did not use any weapons.
The coworker explained that during the altercation, they both tripped over empty bottles, which smashed and caused injuries to various portions of their bodies.
“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,” the colleague explained.
“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 coworker stated that Isaiah was turned over to the police for prosecution and that the incident had been reported to the Surulere Police Division.
According to an unnamed client, the hotel management called an emergency meeting as a result of the incidents that resulted in Kato's death.
“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,” the customer said.
“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.”
A hotel source, however, said that the quarrel over a PoS transaction was the root cause of the argument between Isaiah and Kato that turned physical.
No one had imagined that the battle would end tragically, the source said, adding that the two men's families, who were from the same town, had been informed and were travelling to Lagos State to discuss the situation.
SP Benjamin Hundeyin, a spokesman for the State Police Command, acknowledged the occurrence and said that an investigation is still going on.
