Boy who disguised as female with hijab to get free ride, narrowly escapes being set ablaze

The decision of Joshua Francis, 18, to hitchhike by dressing like a female, to get to his destination in Ikire, Osun State, from Kishi, Oyo State, backfired on Wednesday, March 30, in Ibadan, Oyo State. But for the timely intervention of the police, he’d have been burnt to death.

While reliving the experience, after being rescued, Francis, a marketer, said: “It is true I disguised as a lady but it was just to get a free ride. We went for a marketing programme at Kishi, Oyo State. I was paired with a male colleague. After the programme, we boarded the bus on the way home but I took an excuse to urinate.

Before my return, the vehicle had gone. Confused and afraid on how I would get back to Ikire, I started waving vehicles down, but they refused to help me. I went to a motor park nearby and asked for their help but they said they could not help because there was fuel scarcity.

When I saw that there was no help coming my way in Kishi, I remembered that I had a few female clothes belonging to one of the girls working with the same company, so I turned aside and wore them because I believed that people would help a female quicker than they would assist a male.

From there, it was easy for me to get a ride to Ibadan. A woman stopped to give me a ride at Iwo Road, Ibadan, to Ikire but as I entered, she noticed my legs. As soon as she knew that I was a male, she raised the alarm and said I wanted to attack her on the way and steal her car.

I tried to explain to her but she did not listen. She shouted at me to get out of her car. A crowd formed around us and they started beating me. Before I knew it, they placed a tyre round my neck to set me ablaze but an elderly man invited the police and I was handed over to them.”…. I for don turn barbecue as I dey so….