Two serving police officers attached to a Lagos-based Police Mobile Force unit narrowly escaped being lynched by an angry mob in Ogun State after they were mistakenly identified as suspected kidnappers.
The incident occurred on Monday in Kanuyi Community, Simawa, within the Sagamu Local Government Area, where residents reportedly apprehended the officers and raised an alarm over alleged kidnapping activities in the area.
The situation escalated after photographs and videos of the men circulated widely on social media, triggering public anxiety and speculation about their identities.
However, the Ogun State Police Command clarified that the individuals were genuine police officers and not criminal suspects as widely believed.
The command’s spokesperson, DSP Oluseyi Babaseyi, disclosed that police operatives were swiftly mobilised to the community following a distress call and rescued the officers from an agitated crowd.
According to him, the men were subsequently taken into protective custody while authorities carried out necessary checks to establish their identities.
Preliminary findings revealed that the officers were attached to a Police Mobile Force Squadron in Lagos and had lost their way while returning from an official assignment in Sagamu.
Babaseyi said their identities were confirmed through valid police identification cards, official deployment records and verification from their parent command in Lagos State.
He explained that the officers were wrongly profiled as kidnappers by some residents before security personnel intervened.
The police spokesman further noted that before officers arrived at the scene, members of the public had searched, photographed and recorded the men, with the materials later shared on various social media platforms, fuelling false claims about their activities.
While commending residents for remaining vigilant amid security concerns, the police cautioned against taking the law into their own hands or resorting to mob action without proper verification.
The command urged members of the public to promptly report suspicious individuals to security agencies and allow lawful investigations to determine the facts before drawing conclusions.