A young woman, Afolabi Oluwabukolami, has shared a harrowing account of how she narrowly escaped an attempted abduction while commuting in a commercial tricycle, commonly called Keke Maruwa, in Akure, the Ondo State capital.
The incident reportedly occurred on Thursday evening around 5 p.m. as she was returning from work in Oba Ile.
According to Oluwabukolami, she boarded a Keke from the Post Office/Old Garage axis, heading towards the Cultural area, along Ondo road.
She was the last passenger to board, joining two others already seated — a male passenger and the driver.
The journey took a dark turn when the driver began making unsolicited advances.
“He touched my shoulder, and I immediately slapped his hand away. He started saying things like I was a ‘fine girl’ and that I was ‘too harsh,'” she wrote in a Facebook post. “I ignored him completely.”
Trouble escalated after another female passenger alighted at the Custom area. With only herself, the driver, and the male passenger left, the driver began driving recklessly, ignoring her pleas to slow down.
“He jumped several bumps without slowing down, especially around Barracks Gate and Mechanic Village,” she said.
Oluwabukolami said she repeatedly asked to be dropped off near a popular junction she knew well, but the driver refused. “He shouted back at me, claiming there was no space to park — but I know that area well, and that wasn’t true,” she added.
Her fear heightened when the second passenger, a man, began backing up the driver, yelling at her instead.
Sensing danger and suspecting a coordinated attempt to abduct her, she took the drastic decision to jump out of the moving vehicle.
“They didn’t stop — they just sped off,” she recounted.
Injured and dazed, she was rescued by a Good Samaritan who recognized her and took her back to her neighborhood, where her uncle saw her and immediately contacted her parents.
She was subsequently rushed to a hospital where she is now receiving treatment for injuries and fractures sustained during the fall.
Grateful for her life, Oluwabukolami issued a heartfelt warning to other residents, especially women, urging them to be extra vigilant while boarding Keke Maruwa in Akure.
“Since this happened, many people who visited me shared similar stories of being robbed, taken to unknown locations, or worse,” she said.
“I sincerely thank God for sparing my life and appreciate my family, boss, and friends for their care and support,” she concluded.
