I was arrested for purchasing a SIM card previously used in a ₦50m ransom linked to a murder — Businesswoman

Nigerian entrepreneur Titilayo Ibrahim recounted her harrowing experience of almost being imprisoned due to a false connection to a kidnapping case involving a ₦50 million ransom.

In a recent interview with BBC Yoruba, shared on Facebook, Ibrahim detailed that the troubles began on October 16, 2025, when a woman called her business phone to order sleepwear. “She selected two items and mentioned using her husband’s phone due to hers being broken. They later arranged to pick it up, so I provided my estate junction location,” she recounted.

Upon the customer’s arrival, two men posing as police officers arrested her, alleging that her SIM card was linked to a kidnapping and murder investigation. “They asserted that the line was used for the kidnapping, the ransom had been paid, and the victim was subsequently killed. I explained that I purchased the SIM in April 2025, while the incident occurred in January 2024,” Ibrahim clarified.

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She then visited her network provider, Airtel, which verified her purchase of the SIM in April 2025, but the officers continued their accusations. “Even after confirming with the network office, they still did not believe me. I faced harassment and was nearly imprisoned for something I had no involvement in,” she said.

Ibrahim noted that Inspector Dauda Adamu from the Force Intelligence Department in Abuja claimed a number associated with her National Identification Number was implicated. “Nevertheless, I bought my Airtel SIM on April 15, 2025, which was corroborated by Airtel’s records. Despite this proof, I was threatened with being taken to Abuja and held overnight in Akure,” she shared.

On October 17, 2025, Airtel formally exonerated her, yet the police retained her phones and instructed her to repo rt to Abuja.