A 34-year-old Nigerian, Quham Babatunde, was stabbed to death by a gang of suspected thugs on South Anne Street, Dublin, Ireland, last Saturday.
The incident, according to a BBC report, happened last Saturday at the junction of South Anne Street and Duke Lane Upper around 3am.
It was learnt that the man had attended an Afroswing gig at a nightclub in the Irish capital on the night of the attack.
It was further learnt that emergency services treated him at the scene on South Anne Street early Saturday morning.
He was, however, rushed to St. James’ Hospital, where medics struggled to save his life, but he succumbed to multiple stab wounds, including one to the heart.
The report revealed that video footage circulating on social media showed a masked man brandishing a large knife as a brawl erupted on South Anne Street, off Grafton Street.
A murder investigation has been launched, with two suspects arrested and currently being interrogated by the police.
Another man in his 30s was seriously injured in the incident and is receiving treatment for non-life threatening injuries.
Speaking on the incident, Irish Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan described it as “disgusting and unacceptable.”
He said people were not allowed to carry knives in Ireland, adding that the incident was “disgusting”.
“Carrying knives and acts of violence on the street are not acceptable in Ireland,” he said.
O’Callaghan confirmed that the man who died was Nigerian and was within the International Protection Accommodation Services system.
This means he was seeking asylum in the Republic of Ireland.
It is believed he was stabbed after a row between two groups of people who were out socialising.
O’Callaghan said people were fighting outside a nightclub and a row spilled onto the street before the “fatality and violence occurred”.
He said those involved would be tracked down by gardaí and brought to justice.
He added that gardaí (the police) had “excellent” CCTV footage of the incident.
Also speaking, Irish deputy prime minister (Tánaiste) described the fatal stabbing as “alarming, shocking and deeply concerning”.
Simon Harris told RTÉ News the incident had “caused concern for many, many people” across Dublin and beyond.
Sinn Féin’s justice spokesperson, Matt Carthy, called the incident “deeply disturbing” and said it had caused great shock.
He said there was a “serious problem” in relation to public safety in Dublin city centre, and said that there are not enough gardaí on the streets.
Babatunde had been living at the International Protection Accommodation Service Centre in Ballyogan, South Dublin.
He was previously arrested by Italian authorities over an allegation of rape in 2018 and scheduled for deportation in 2019.
According to Gript, an Italian online media company, Babatunde also known as ‘Mike Obumbo’ was a promising footballer who plied his trade in the Reggiana youth team at the time he was charged with rape.
