A Nigerian businesswoman has recounted how she narrowly avoided imprisonment after being unexpectedly linked to a kidnapping case involving a ₦50 million ransom.
In an interview with BBC Yoruba, shared on Facebook on Monday, Titilayo Ibrahim described how a routine order for nightwear quickly turned into a nightmare.
She explained that the ordeal began on October 16, 2025, when a supposed customer called her business line to purchase nightwear. The caller, a woman, selected two pieces and claimed she was using her husband’s phone because hers was faulty. She later requested directions for pickup, and Ibrahim provided her estate junction location.
However, when the customer arrived, two men identifying themselves as police officers immediately arrested her, alleging that she had used a SIM card involved in a major kidnapping and murder case.
“It happened that on October 16, 2025, a number texted my business line asking for nightwear. She picked two and said she was using her husband’s phone because hers was faulty. Later, they said they would come pick it up, so I gave them my estate junction location,” she said in Yoruba.
Despite her insistence that the SIM card was newly purchased and used solely for her MiFi device, the officers maintained that she had been under surveillance. They claimed the number had previously been used to demand a ₦50 million ransom before the victim was killed.
“They claimed the line was used for kidnapping, ₦50m ransom was collected, and the victim was still killed. I told them I bought the SIM in April 2025, while the incident happened in January 2024.”
Even after visiting the network office, which confirmed she had purchased the SIM in April 2025, the officers allegedly continued to accuse her. Ibrahim said she was harassed and nearly imprisoned for a crime she had no knowledge of.
“Even after confirming it at the network office, they still didn’t believe me. They harassed me and almost sent me to prison for what I know nothing about,” she concluded.
The story has sparked widespread reactions online, with many Nigerians expressing shock and warning against buying pre-registered SIM cards. Others voiced concern over how easily an innocent person could become embroiled in criminal investigations.
Earlier reports in November 2025 stated that Titilayo Ibrahim, then a graduate serving in Akure, was arrested and taken to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department over a number linked to her NIN.
Providing additional details about her ordeal, Ibrahim explained that the officers, led by Inspector Dauda Adamu of FID Abuja, claimed that one of the phone numbers connected to her NIN was tied to the crime.
“The officers, led by Inspector Dauda Adamu of the FID, Abuja, alleged that one of the phone numbers connected to my National Identification Number was involved in the crime.
“However, I had purchased my Airtel SIM on April 15, 2025, a fact later confirmed by Airtel’s official records. Despite this evidence, I was threatened with being taken to Abuja and detained overnight in Akure.
“On October 17, 2025, Airtel officially confirmed that the disputed SIM was indeed bought and activated in April 2025, fully clearing me. Yet, the police still took my phones to Abuja and instructed me to report there.”
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