A Nigerian medical doctor, Rasheed Olaniyi, has revealed heartbreaking details surrounding the sudden death of his longtime friend, Kunle Akinyele, a retired customs officer who collapsed during his wife’s 60th birthday celebration in April.
In an emotional interview with *The Punch*, Dr. Olaniyi expressed deep frustration, claiming he was physically restrained from performing potentially life-saving CPR when Akinyele slumped inside a church during the party.
“We were there to celebrate his wife, and he suddenly went down. I rushed to give CPR, but the scene turned chaotic,” Olaniyi recounted. “People who didn’t understand what was happening started shouting and stopped me. They thought I was going to hurt him.”
Despite identifying himself as a doctor and trying to explain that chest compressions may sometimes result in broken ribs—a common and acceptable side effect during resuscitation—Olaniyi said he was pushed aside by a group of young onlookers.
“No one there was a medical professional, but they were convinced I was doing more harm than good,” he lamented. “They yelled things like, ‘Don’t injure him!’ and physically blocked me. It was devastating.”
According to Olaniyi, Akinyele was hurriedly moved to a hospital, where he joined the medical team to resume CPR, but the effort came too late. “That’s how we lost him,” he said.
Akinyele, described as only mildly hypertensive with no history of asthma or other critical conditions, may have been overwhelmed by stress from organizing the event. A driver reportedly noticed he appeared cold and disoriented earlier that day but assumed rest and water would help.
“If I had seen him at that point, I would have taken him straight to a hospital,” said Olaniyi, who shared that he and Akinyele had been close for more than four decades.
Doctors at the hospital later confirmed that timely CPR might have saved Akinyele’s life.
Reflecting on the tragic loss, Olaniyi issued a strong public appeal: “Nigerians must learn basic emergency response and stop interfering with professionals. Also, we must manage stress and take our health seriously.”
Akinyele’s widow is said to be too distraught to speak, as family, friends, and colleagues mourn a life many believe could have been saved if not for avoidable ignorance and panic.
