Segun Atanda/
A United States-based Nigerian medical doctor narrowly escaped death after an angry mob in Ibadan attacked him and set his Lexus RX 330 SUV ablaze over a false kidnapping allegation.
The incident occurred on Monday at about 2.30pm around the 2nd Powerline Area, Ologuneru, along the Eleyele–Ido Road in Ibadan.
According to the Oyo State police command, officers attached to the Eleyele Division responded after receiving a distress call from residents claiming that a suspected kidnapper was about to be lynched and burnt alive by a mob.
The Command said a combined team of patrol and detective officers led by the Divisional Crime Officer of Eleyele Police Station swiftly moved to the scene and rescued the victim from the enraged crowd.
However, by the time officers arrived, the victim’s Lexus RX 330 SUV had already been set ablaze.
Police identified the victim simply as Dr. Afolabi and said preliminary investigations showed that he is a medical doctor based in the United States and not a kidnapper as widely alleged in misleading social media reports circulating after the incident.
Two girls, Deborah, 15, and Rebecca, 12, who were found inside the vehicle, were also taken into protective custody alongside the doctor as part of the investigation.
The police said subsequent findings indicated that the girls had been taken with the consent of a woman identified as Mrs Idowu Abimbola, a 56-year-old resident of the Eleyele area of Ibadan, who allegedly intended them to assist the doctor’s mother with household chores.
According to the Command, Mrs Abimbola was later invited for questioning and reportedly confirmed the arrangement, while the two girls also corroborated the account during interrogation.
Investigators further traced the misunderstanding to an encounter at a security checkpoint near the Polytechnic gate.
Police said the doctor had attempted to gain access through the gate when a security guard stopped his vehicle for routine inspection.
According to the Command, suspicion intensified after the girls were allegedly seen in a state of undress when the vehicle window was lowered during the inspection.
The situation reportedly worsened after the doctor was said to have struggled to provide satisfactory answers to questions from bystanders and security personnel.
Police added that his decision to turn away from the checkpoint, coupled with the inability of the girls to communicate properly in either English or the local language, further fuelled suspicion among those at the scene.
The misunderstanding quickly degenerated into violence as youths allegedly chased and intercepted the doctor before attacking him.
“The victim was heavily beaten by the mob despite attempts to explain himself before the timely intervention of the Police,” the Command said.
Police said the doctor sustained severe injuries and was immediately taken to the Police Medical Services facility for urgent treatment.
He is currently responding to medical care.
The Command added that statements had been obtained from eyewitnesses, including a commercial motorcyclist allegedly struck during the confusion, while efforts were ongoing to identify and apprehend those involved in the mob action and destruction of property.
Reacting to the incident, the Commissioner of Police in Oyo State, Abimbola Ayodeji Olugbenga, condemned the resort to jungle justice and warned residents against spreading false and unverified information capable of inciting panic and violence.
The police commissioner described mob attacks and the circulation of misleading narratives on social media as serious threats to public peace, law and order, warning that such actions could undermine security gains recorded across the state.
He urged residents to always report suspicious activities to security agencies rather than taking the law into their own hands.
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