The Lagos State Government has shut down the popular Purple Mall in Lekki after a young man sadly lost his life in the mall’s parking area.
The man, 28-year-old Obinna, was the only child of his mother, Kylie. She explained that her son often went to the gym located inside the mall. On Thursday, June 26, he was told to park his car on the fifth floor. CCTV footage later showed his car suddenly tipping over while he was trying to park.
‘’There were no instructions or safety signs to say this is exit and this is entrance. My son entered through the exit. It is a multi level car park. My family and the police have seen the CCTV. He was driving very slow, he was not speeding. Obviously, when you are driving in a multi-level car park, you do not speed. You are looking for parking space as well, so he wasn’t speeding.” she said
‘’I don’t know what happened but the CCTV (shows) when he went to the 5th floor was when he tipped over. there was nothing after on the CCTV.”
According to his mother, it took about 35 minutes before mall staff removed him from the car and took him to the hospital. Sadly, doctors confirmed that he had already died by the time they arrived.
Mall management claimed their valet offered to help Obinna with parking, but said he refused. However, Kylie disagreed. She said her son’s friend, who was driving behind him, revealed that mall staff had actually asked them to park their cars themselves.
In response to the tragic event, the Lagos State Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources ordered the indefinite closure of Purple Mall on Wednesday, July 2. The ministry said a special investigation team would be set up to look into the incident.
Commissioner Tokunbo Wahab signed the statement and explained that the investigation would find out why the parking lot failed and whether safety rules were followed.
According to Wahab
“This heartbreaking accident was entirely preventable. We will ensure full accountability and implement all necessary measures to prevent future occurrences. “
He also said the team would check if the mall followed all construction and environmental standards and identify any faults in the building structure.
The commissioner sent his deep condolences to the family and reminded Lagos residents that public places should always be safe. He promised that the government will share updates as the investigation continues.
