A Nigerian businesswoman, Titilayo Ibrahim, has recounted her shocking ordeal after a simple SIM card purchase nearly landed her in prison over a ₦50 million kidnapping case she knew nothing about.
Speaking in an interview with BBC Yoruba, Ibrahim explained how what started as a routine business transaction quickly spiraled into a life-altering nightmare.
According to her, the incident began on October 16, 2025, when a woman contacted her via her business line to order nightwear. The caller claimed she was using her husband’s phone because hers was faulty and arranged to pick up the items at a nearby junction after receiving directions.
However, things took a dramatic turn when, instead of a customer, two men arrived at the meeting point and identified themselves as police officers.
She was immediately arrested and accused of being connected to a kidnapping and murder case involving a ₦50 million ransom.
Ibrahim said the officers alleged that the phone number linked to her was previously used by kidnappers who collected the ransom and still killed their victim.
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Despite her insistence that she had only recently purchased the SIM card in April 2025 for use in her MiFi device, the officers maintained that she had been under surveillance.
To prove her innocence, she accompanied the officers to a network provider’s office, where records confirmed that the SIM card was indeed purchased and activated months after the alleged crime had taken place in January 2024.
Yet, even with this evidence, she claimed the harassment did not stop.
She further revealed that the case escalated when officers from the Force Intelligence Department, led by Dauda Adamu, insisted that a number linked to her National Identification Number was connected to the crime.
“They threatened to take me to Abuja and detain me, even after everything had been verified,” she said.
Although telecom records eventually cleared her of any wrongdoing, Ibrahim said her phones were still taken to Abuja, and she was instructed to report there for further investigation.
Her story has since sparked widespread concern among Nigerians, with many warning about the dangers of buying pre-registered SIM cards and the ease with which innocent individuals can become entangled in serious criminal investigations.
The incident highlights growing fears over identity linkage systems and the potential risks they pose when not properly managed, especially in cases involving SIM registration and NIN verification.
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