Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
A 37-year-old man, Ziaulihak Zakari, popularly known as Abuja, is currently in police custody after allegedly confessing to receiving N500,000 to carry out an acid attack on a female spa worker in the Lakowe area of Lagos State. In a chilling video confession, Zakari admitted that he had been hired to pour acid on a specific target but mistakenly attacked an innocent employee instead. The victim, Olorunseunfunmi Awosogbon, a spa therapist, sustained severe injuries to her head, chest and hands during the attack on October 25, 2025. She remains hospitalised, undergoing medical procedures for injuries inflicted by a corrosive substance.
The attack occurred when Awosogbon arrived at Lakowe Golf Gate, near Utmost Care Hospital, to attend to a home service appointment. Court documents reveal that as she stepped out of a ride‑hailing vehicle, Zakari approached and poured the corrosive liquid on her. The assailant fled immediately, leaving the young woman screaming in agony. Her employer, Olorunmaye Ifeoluwa, told investigators that Awosogbon called her in distress immediately after the incident, prompting her to arrange for urgent hospitalisation. The victim was initially treated at a medical facility in Lekki before being transferred to a specialist hospital in Ikeja for advanced care.
Zakari, who was arrested on March 19, 2026, did not deny his role in the attack. In his confession, he revealed that he was recruited for the job by a man named Owolabi Daniel, who contacted him through a security guard. "There is a man named Daniel who contacted me through a security guard and told me he had a job. When he said he needed someone to pour acid on a person, I agreed," Zakari said in the video, according to PUNCH Metro. He admitted that he was paid N500,000 for the operation and gave the security guard N50,000 for linking him up. The acid, he claimed, was provided by Daniel and the security guard.
Zakari also confessed that he initially failed to carry out the attack because he was afraid. When a second opportunity arose, he went ahead but mistakenly targeted Awosogbon instead of the intended victim. "I mistook the target and attacked the wrong person," he stated, expressing regret over his actions. The intended target was not Awosogbon, but her employer, Olorunmaye Ifeoluwa. The attack, investigators say, was orchestrated by Owolabi Daniel, a 25‑year‑old man who had been in a brief romantic relationship with Ifeoluwa. The relationship lasted only a few months and was marked by frequent disagreements before Ifeoluwa ended it. Daniel, however, refused to let go, allegedly resorting to stalking, threats, and ultimately hiring an acid attacker.
Ifeoluwa told the police that she met Daniel earlier in 2025 when he booked a massage session at her spa. He had requested that she attend to him personally, and after the session, he kept in touch and expressed interest in a relationship. She agreed, but the relationship soon became fraught with disagreements. When she decided to end things, Daniel allegedly refused to accept her decision. According to Ifeoluwa, she began receiving threatening messages from unknown numbers after ending the relationship. "The messages contained threats to my life. I reported the matter, but the numbers could not be traced at the time," she said. She also noted that there had been suspicious home‑service bookings made shortly before the attack. On one occasion, a client stopped responding after her staff arrived at the location. A similar booking came in later for the same area.
Following the attack on Awosogbon, Ifeoluwa alleged that threatening messages continued. "The sender indicated that the attack was not the end and that I was still being targeted. 'I’m going to kill you soon. You deserve to be in a grave,' among others," she recounted. A private investigation later linked the messages to a known individual, after which the matter was reported to the police and an arrest was made. Both Zakari and Daniel have since been arraigned before a Magistrate Court in Ebute‑Metta on charges bordering on conspiracy, threat to life and causing bodily harm, contrary to the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015. The charge sheet also alleges that Daniel sent threatening electronic messages via WhatsApp, an offence punishable under Section 232 of the same law.
The victim's lawyer, John Olobayo, has criticised the handling of the case, arguing that the charges do not fully reflect the severity of the alleged offence. He noted that further petitions have been submitted to the relevant authorities, including the Ministry of Justice, to ensure that stronger legal action is taken. Meanwhile, the father of one of the suspects has stated that any financial support provided to the victim had been handled through legal channels. He also disclosed that he had sold his house to contribute to her treatment, a gesture that has done little to assuage the anger of the victim's family and colleagues.
Ifeoluwa has expressed deep concern over her safety and that of her staff, especially as Daniel has reportedly been granted bail. "I am worried about my safety and that of my staff," she said. For now, Awosogbon remains in hospital, her career as a spa therapist likely ended by a single, malicious act. The permanent scars on her body will serve as a grim reminder of a love affair gone wrong, a contract killer who made a deadly mistake, and a justice system that many feel failed to respond with adequate force. Zakari, the confessed hitman, awaits his fate behind bars, regretting the day he agreed to earn N500,000 by destroying a life.
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