A 67-year-old Fulani community leader in Ijebu Ode, Ogun State, Abdullahi Muhammadu, who was recently arrested by police over alleged links to kidnapping operations, reportedly admitted that he was aware that one of his sons, Bala Muhammadu, had been involved in kidnapping activities.
According to The Sun, despite acknowledging his son’s criminal history, Abdullahi maintained that he had no role in any of Bala’s alleged crimes, even though they both reside within the same family compound. He also confirmed that he personally took Bala to a hospital for treatment for about a month after the latter regained his freedom from a correctional facility, where he had served a five-year sentence for kidnapping-related offences.
Investigations revealed that Bala, along with two of his brothers, allegedly fled into a nearby forest after receiving information that security operatives were approaching their family residence.
Security sources disclosed that operatives attached to the Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the Ogun State Police Command, under the leadership of SP Bamidele Shirtu, had been investigating a series of abduction cases reported in Ijebu Ode, Imodi, Irewon, Iwode, Okun-Owa and neighbouring communities.
According to findings from the investigation, detectives allegedly traced several of the kidnapping incidents to Bala, who had recently completed a prison term for a previous kidnapping conviction.
A police source familiar with the investigation stated that extensive intelligence gathering led officers to recover one of the bags allegedly used to collect ransom payments from the kitchen of Bala’s father. The source explained that as operatives entered the community, a child reportedly noticed their presence and alerted Bala and his brothers, allowing them to escape through the bush before they could be apprehended.
The source further alleged that Bala was not the only suspect linked to the criminal activities. Other individuals, including a man identified as Ndaji and another unnamed suspect, were also being pursued by security operatives.
Investigators additionally observed that kidnapping incidents in the area reportedly increased shortly after Bala’s release from prison. The police source noted that Bala had previously spent five years in custody following a conviction for kidnapping and suggested that his return to the community coincided with a renewed wave of abductions across the affected areas.
While he was speaking to journalists, Muhammadu said; “My name is Muhammadu Abdullahi. I am a cattle rearer and a farmer. I have lived in Yorubaland for more than 30 years. I have four wives and 30 children in Yorubaland. I was honoured with the title of Seriki Fulani of Ijebu Ode by the immediate past Awujale of Ijebu Ode.
“I know nothing about the bag found in my house. I live in the same compound with my wives and children. I have never kidnapped anybody in my life.”
