Man, 25, arrested after criminal he paid N500k to acid-bathe his ex-girlfriend poured the substance on her salesgirl

The police in Lagos state have arrested a 25-year-old data scientist who allegedly attempted to harm his ex-lover with acid but mistakenly poured the corrosive substance on an innocent person instead.

According to reports, the suspect who resides in Lakwe in Ibeju-Lekki area of the state, became disgruntled after his then girlfriend ended their relationship in October 2025. In a bid to get at her, he contracted a man who is currently at large, paid the man N500, 000 to att@ck his ex-girlfriend. However, the attacker who was unfamiliar with the said ex-girlfriend, went to her shop and mistakenly poured acid all over her salesgirl who he presumed was his target.

The victim, who has already lost her sight in the cause of the incident, is still battling for her life at an undisclose hospital in lagos with over N40 million already spent on her treatment.

The suspect, who allegedly sent threatening messages to his ex-lover before the incident, continued sending them even after an innocent person was attacked.

His number was tracked, and he was apprehended.

When interrogated, the suspect, a master’s degree holder, said he met his ex-girlfriend online in January 2025. He mentioned that things took a different turn after he dicovered she was no longer interested in him and might have started seeing someone else.

 He confessed to contacting a man to help him deal with his ex for dumping him.

“I felt emotionally hurt, so I hired a man and paid N500,000. I only asked him to help me ‘deal with her’ not to pour her acid. He went to her shop and attacked an innocent person, who is her employee, ” he said

Confirming the incident to LIB, the spokesperson of the state police command, SP Abimbola Adebisi, said the suspect is in custody at the SCID where further investigation is ongoing.