There was panic on Friday after a middle-aged man identified simply as AJ was found dead in his car at Mechanic Village in the Idimu area of Lagos State.

PUNCH Metro learnt that the deceased was attending the Good Friday service in a church located in the area when the incident happened.

The late AJ, who was a member of the church, reportedly stepped out while the service was ongoing to pick up something in his car which was parked on the premises.

An eyewitness who spoke to our correspondent on the condition of anonymity said another member who saw him in the car some moments later, exchanged pleasantries with him but did not get a response.

The curious member was said to have moved close to him and in the process found him motionless in the vehicle.

The source said, “He said he wanted to pick up an item in the car, but nobody really noticed he had not returned to join the service. One of our members who was passing by his car saw him in a sitting position and greeted him but found out that he did not respond. The person said he moved close to him and jokingly asked if he was tired as a result of fasting.

“It was at that point that he discovered that he was not moving at all. So, he quickly alerted other members who rushed out of the church to see what was going on. Efforts were made to revive him, but he was already foaming from his mouth and that was when we realised he was dead.”

The incident was said to have caused apprehension in the community while the church service ended abruptly.

According to the source, the wife of the deceased, who was also present during the service, was quickly attended to by other female members who consoled her.

“It was a sad day for us because nobody saw that coming. We could no longer go ahead with the service. We prepared refreshments for members that day, but no one could eat. We also tried all we could to console his wife,’’ the source added.

Another source, a mechanic, who gave his name as Lukmon Salako, and claimed to have visited the Mechanic Village to fix the customer’s car, said members of the church were moody after the incident while the female members were seen consoling the wife of the deceased.

“I came to fix my customer’s car in the mechanic village when the incident happened. The members were all moody. The wife of the deceased was also sitting on the floor while the female members of the church were consoling her.”

“His body was carried in his car to the nearest hospital where he was said to have been confirmed dead by the doctor on duty,” Salako added.

When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, said he was unaware of the incident.

He said, “I am not aware.”

So painful

Too bad