Security Operatives Recover Ransom Bag from Seriki Fulani’s Residence in Ogun

Commissioner of Police (CP) for Ogun State is Bode Ojajuni

Security Operatives Recover Ransom Bag from Seriki Fulani’s Residence in Ogun

IJEBU ODE, OGUN STATE – A 67-year-old community leader and Fulani Seriki in Ijebu Ode has been arrested by the Ogun State Police Command after investigators discovered a bag used to deliver ransom money inside his kitchen. The suspect, Abdullahi Muhammadu, who holds the title of Seriki Fulani of Ijebu Ode, has pleaded innocence but admitted under questioning that he knew one of his sons, Bala Muhammadu, was a convicted kidnapper. He told police he thought his son had “turned a new leaf” after serving five years in prison for the same crime. The discovery has exposed what police describe as a family-linked kidnapping syndicate operating across multiple communities in the Ijebu area, including Imodi, Irewon, Iwode, and Okun Owa.

Operatives from the Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the Ogun State Police Command, led by SP Bamidele Shirtu, had been investigating a surge in abduction cases in the Ijebu Ode axis over the past several months. According to a police source, all evidence pointed to Bala Muhammadu, who had recently been released from a correctional centre after serving a five-year sentence for kidnapping. “After painstaking and intelligence-driven investigation, one of the bags which was used in the payment of the ransom for one of the victims was recovered in the father’s kitchen,” the source said. The bag was found inside the kitchen of Abdullahi Muhammadu, a cattle rearer and father of 30 children from four wives, who has lived in Yorubaland for over 30 years.

Police said Bala and two of his brothers were tipped off by a sibling who spotted security operatives entering the community. The three suspects fled into nearby bush paths before officers could apprehend them. However, their father, the Seriki Fulani, was arrested on the spot. His eldest son, Bello Muhammadu, was also later arrested. “It is not only Bala who is into the business. There is also Ndaji and one other, and we are on their trail,” the police source added. The source further revealed that kidnapping incidents surged in the Ijebu area shortly after Bala was released from prison.

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Speaking to journalists after his arrest, Abdullahi Muhammadu denied any personal involvement in kidnapping but made a stunning admission about his son. “I know that Bala was into kidnapping. He was arrested and sent to prison. After he came back, I took him to the hospital, where he spent one month for treatment,” the Seriki Fulani said. “I thought that he had turned a new leaf because he is now into farming and cattle rearing. I didn’t know that he is still into kidnapping. I don’t know if any of my other sons are into kidnapping.” He added: “I didn’t want him to die when he came back from prison. He was looking very sick and pale. I wanted the best for him and other children. I took him to the hospital for treatment. I also encouraged him to stay away from crime.”

Despite the incriminating evidence found in his kitchen, Muhammadu maintained his innocence. “My name is Muhammadu Abdulai. I am a cattle rearer and also a farmer. I have been in Yorubaland for more than thirty years now. I have four wives and thirty children in Yorubaland,” he said. “I was honoured with the title of Seriki of Fulani in Ijebu Ode by the immediate past Awujale of Ijebu Ode. I don’t know anything about the bag that was found in my house. I live in the same compound with my children and wives. I have never kidnapped anybody in my life.”

Bello Muhammadu, the eldest son of the Seriki Fulani, was also arrested. He told police he was not at home during the operation but was called back from his farm by his father. “I am Bello Muhammadu. I am the eldest child of my father. I was not at home when the policemen came. I was in the farm when my father called me. He could not understand what the policemen were saying,” Bello said. “I am not into kidnapping. I am a herder. I only know that my younger brother, Bala, was arrested and taken to prison some years back. I don’t know anything about what he and any of my brothers are doing.” He added: “If my father had known that Bala had returned to the crime, he would have killed him himself. He does not encourage anything like that.”

The Ogun State Police Command confirmed the arrests and ongoing investigation in a statement issued by the command’s spokesperson, DSP Oluseyi Babaseyi. Babaseyi praised the support of the Inspector General of Police, Olatunji Disu, and the strategic leadership of the Commissioner of Police, CP Bode Ojajuni, in the fight against kidnapping and violent crime in the state. “The successful operation carried out by the Anti-Kidnapping Unit, leading to the neutralisation/arrest of the notorious suspect and recovery of incriminating exhibits, underscores the bravery, professionalism and unwavering dedication of the operatives,” Babaseyi said. “Their resilience and intelligence-driven approach continue to frustrate criminal networks and reinforce public confidence in the Police.” The command assured residents that efforts are being intensified to dismantle all criminal syndicates operating in Ogun State and urged the public to provide timely and credible information to security agencies.