Dr. Afolabi, a physician based in the United States, was beaten and had his vehicle set ablaze in Ibadan before police confirmed the girls with him were legally in his care.
By: Olayinka Ganiyu
A Nigerian doctor resident in the United States barely survived a savage mob attack in Ibadan, Oyo State, after he was falsely accused of kidnapping two young girls who were, in fact, travelling under his lawful care.
Dr. Afolabi was pulled from his Lexus RX 330 SUV at a checkpoint on May 12, 2026, after passersby grew suspicious and alerted other residents. The crowd that gathered proceeded to assault him and torch his vehicle before police officers arrived and intervened.
Investigations by the Oyo State Police Command subsequently established that the doctor had committed no offence. The two girls in his vehicle, Deborah, 15, and Rebecca, 12 were being transported to his mother’s home to assist with domestic work, an arrangement their guardian had sanctioned.
“Suspicion alone is not proof of guilt. Members of the public must report concerns to law enforcement rather than taking justice into their own hands.”
The girls’ guardian, Mrs. Idowu Abimbola, confirmed the arrangement to investigators. Both Deborah and Rebecca corroborated Dr. Afolabi’s account independently.
Police authorities condemned the mob action in unambiguous terms, describing it as a dangerous act of jungle justice driven by rumour and assumption rather than verified fact. The Commissioner of Police in Oyo State, CP Abimbola Ayodeji Olugbenga, ordered an immediate investigation and directed that all individuals involved in the assault and in the destruction of the doctor’s vehicle be identified and arrested.
The incident has renewed urgent concerns about mob violence in parts of Nigeria, where lynchings and extrajudicial attacks on individuals suspected of crimes which are often based on little more than hearsay have claimed lives and gone unpunished. Advocacy groups have long called for greater public education on due process and swifter legal accountability for those who participate in jungle justice.
Authorities reiterated that members of the public should channel any suspicions through proper law enforcement channels, warning that vigilante violence carries serious criminal consequences.
Tags: #jungle justice #oyo state #mob violence #public safety