The Lagos State Police Command has confirmed that TikTok influencer, Habeeb Hamzat, popularly known as Peller, is safe despite reports of his alleged abduction during a livestream on Wednesday night.

The command’s spokesperson, Benjamin Hundeyin, in an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Thursday, said that preliminary checks showed that the content creator was at home and unharmed.

“We are investigating the allegation, but we can confirm that the person in question, Habeeb, popularly known as Peller, is at home safe and sound.

“His vehicle is also intact, all his phones and properties, nothing was missing,” Hundeyin said.

He explained that the police were still reviewing the incident to ascertain whether it was a kidnap, a staged abduction, or a false alarm.

“That is what we are investigating. All his properties were intact, and there was no violence whatsoever,” the police spokesman added.

The 20-year-old was said to have been whisked away by armed men on his way home while livestreaming on TikTok.

In footage shared widely online, he appeared to mistake the men for security operatives before being taken away.

The social media sensation, who shot to fame in 2021 with his short-form videos and live-streaming on TikTok, has since expanded his brand to livestreaming of shows and events on Twitch.

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The Osun State Government has said it will obtain the Certified True Copy of the judgment of a United States court that sentenced the Apetumodu of Ipetumodu, Oba Joseph Oloyede, to prison over a multimillion-dollar COVID-19 relief fund fraud.

It was earlier reported that Oloyede, 62, a dual citizen of Nigeria and the United States, was on Tuesday sentenced to 56 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Christopher A. Boyko.

He was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release and pay $4,408,543.38 in restitution.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio, the monarch forfeited his Medina, Ohio, home, purchased with proceeds of the scheme, and an additional $96,006.89 traced to fraud.

He was convicted for leading a conspiracy to exploit COVID-19 emergency loan programmes designed to assist struggling small businesses.

Speaking exclusively to our correspondent on Wednesday, the Osun State Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Mr. Dosu Babatunde, said the government would not act based on social media reports.

“While it may be true that the monarch has been convicted and jailed, there is no official record with us.

We cannot rely on Facebook posts and stories to justify such a serious matter,” he said.

He added that the government would obtain the CTC of the judgment before making any decision regarding the stool.

“We will direct that the Certified True Copy of the judgment be obtained. After studying it, the government will then decide on the next steps,” Babatunde stated.

Meanwhile, calm reigned in Ipetumodu on Wednesday, though residents were observed discussing the issue in hushed tones.

A source said that chiefs in the town held a meeting at the palace, where deliberations centred on the monarch’s fate.

The most senior chief in the community, Sunday Adedeji, when contacted, said, “May God never allow chaos in our community. By the grace of God, He will be in total and complete control. There is no crisis in the town, and we do not envisage any.”

Court documents revealed that between April 2020 and February 2022, Oloyede, who operated as a tax preparer and owned five businesses and a nonprofit, conspired with 62-year-old Edward Oluwasanmi of Willoughby, Ohio, to submit fraudulent applications for COVID-19 relief loans.

The fraudulent applications targeted the Paycheck Protection Programme and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan scheme under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act.

Using their entities, both men submitted falsified applications, defrauding the U.S. government of more than $4.2m.

Oloyede had pleaded guilty to six counts bordering on conspiracy to commit wire fraud, engaging in monetary transactions with criminally derived property, and making false tax returns.

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Early Life and Leadership

Chief Sodeke was born in Iporo, in the heart of Egbaland, during the late 18th century. Known for his courage and strategic mind, he rose to become the Seriki, or war chief, of the Egba people. At a time when wars and raids threatened the Yoruba, Sodeke guided his people in search of safety. Around 1830, he led the migration to the rocky terrain of Abeokuta, helping to organize the settlement and defense alongside other Egba chiefs.

Abeokuta and Lasting Legacy

The city’s name, Abeokuta, translates more precisely as “refuge beneath the rock”, referencing the protection offered by Olumo Rock. Sodeke was not only a military leader but also a visionary. He defended Abeokuta against Dahomey raiders and welcomed missionaries, traders, and returnee slaves from Sierra Leone, opening the town to education, commerce, and culture.

Sodeke died in 1845, before the first official Alake of Egbaland was crowned, but his legacy endures. Abeokuta remains a testament to his courage, leadership, and dedication to his people, reflecting both the resilience and unity of the Egba community.

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