Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Oyo State Police Command has arrested a suspect in connection with a kidnap-and-kill threat made against a 50-year-old resident of Seni Salla Village in Saki, Oyo State, and members of his family. The suspect, Hantsi Abdullahi of Boseperu, Kosubosu, Baruten Local Government Area of Kwara State, was apprehended on September 18, 2026, while attempting to withdraw money from a Point-of-Sale account that the callers had provided to the victim for the payment of a N3 million ransom.
According to a statement issued on Monday, September 21, 2026, by the Command's Public Relations Officer, DSP Ayanlade Olayinka, the victim, Metu Jilani, reported the matter to the police on September 19 at about 6:20 p.m., after receiving threatening telephone calls from unknown persons on September 13. The callers allegedly claimed they had been contracted to kidnap and kill Jilani and members of his family. They warned that any attempt to flee would result in the abduction of his younger brother. The suspects then demanded N3 million, directing Jilani to sell two of his houses and transfer the proceeds to them or face abduction.
To facilitate the payment, the suspects provided the account of a POS operator, Muhydeen Salihu of Gwasoro Village, via Kosubosu, Baruten Local Government Area of Kwara State. Instead of transferring the full amount demanded, Jilani deposited N100,000 into the account. The transaction provided investigators with a lead, as attention was focused on the persons who would attempt to access the money and their possible connection to the threats. On September 18, at about 10 a.m., two men, Hantsi Abdullahi and Hantsi Liman, both of the same address in Kosubosu, went to the POS operator to withdraw the money. While attempting to collect the funds, Abdullahi was arrested, while Liman escaped from the scene.
Following his arrest, Abdullahi was attacked by an angry mob before police operatives intervened and took him to hospital for medical attention. He is currently on admission, while efforts are ongoing to apprehend his fleeing accomplice and determine the full circumstances surrounding the threat, including the identities and roles of other persons who may be connected with the case. The Commissioner of Police, Oyo State Command, CP Abimbola Ayodeji Olugbenga, has directed a thorough investigation into the matter and ordered sustained efforts to apprehend all persons found to be connected with the alleged offence. The Command urged members of the public to promptly report threats, suspicious movements and other actionable information to the police, stressing that timely reporting remains critical to effective intervention and the prevention of criminal activities.
The case raises troubling questions about the ease with which criminal networks are able to operate across state lines. The callers, who remain at large, allegedly operated from Kwara State while targeting a victim in Oyo State. The use of a POS account belonging to a third party—Muhydeen Salihu of Gwasoro Village—as the conduit for the ransom payment suggests a level of coordination and planning that goes beyond opportunistic crime. Investigators will need to establish whether Salihu was a willing participant in the scheme or an unwitting pawn whose account was hijacked for criminal purposes. The fact that two men travelled from Kwara State to withdraw the money indicates that the network had the resources and mobility to act on its threats.
The mob attack on Abdullahi before police intervention is another reminder of the dangerous culture of jungle justice that continues to plague communities across Nigeria. While the anger of residents who may have been victims of or witnesses to criminal activity is understandable, taking the law into one's own hands undermines the justice system and can lead to the death of innocent people. The police have not disclosed whether Abdullahi has been formally charged, but he remains a suspect in custody and is entitled to the presumption of innocence until proven guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction.
The Command's decision to publicise the case is a welcome step toward transparency, but it also highlights the broader challenge of kidnapping and extortion in Oyo State and the wider South-West. Kidnapping for ransom has become a lucrative criminal enterprise across Nigeria, with armed groups and opportunistic criminals targeting victims in both rural and urban areas. The police have recorded operational successes in recent months, including the rescue of kidnapped victims and the arrest of suspects, but the persistence of cases like this one suggests that the fight is far from over. The Commissioner of Police's directive for a thorough investigation is a necessary step, but the real test will be whether the fleeing accomplice and the masterminds behind the threat are apprehended and brought to justice. For now, the victim and his family remain in fear, and the question on everyone's mind is whether the police can dismantle the network before it strikes again.
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