CITIZENS COMPASS— A 30-year-old suspected kidnapper, Bila Halili, has narrated how he hypnotised his victim, Rebecca Mathew, to make her kidnapping easier.
The suspect also destroyed the Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card of the victim to prevent communication with people.
Rebecca was from Bodinga Community in Washegu Local Government Area of Niger State while the suspect hails from Sokoto State.
Rebecca was kidnapped on Thursday, September 11, 2025.
She was rescued by the operatives of Delta State Police Command and local vigilantes while Halili was arrested.
Spokesperson for the Command, Bright Edafe, confirmed this on Monday, in a statement.
He said the Command also recorded other notable achievements.
According to him, “Acting on an intelligence report regarding a suspect who forcefully abducted girls from the North, and kept them in his house against their will, the DPO Agbor Division CSP Obekpa Michael led operatives of Agbor Division and embarked on an intelligence led investigation, trailed the suspect to Oza Nogogo community and raided the premises of one Bila Halili ‘m’ aged 30yrs. Suspect was seen with a young girl named Rebecca Mathew ‘f’ who was kidnapped on 11/09/25. The DPO and his team, alongside members of the local vigilante, rescued the victim, identified as Rebecca Mathew of Bodinga Community in Washegu LGA, Niger State and the suspect, Bila Halili, age 30 years of Kosso community, Sokoto State, was arrested. Upon painstaking examination of the victim, the operatives discovered that she had been hypnotised but she stated that the suspect lured her out of her family home and destroyed her SIM card to make her unreachable before taking her away. Further investigation led the operatives to the victim’s mother, one Esther Moses, of Bodinga community, Niger State, who later revealed that the victim had been missing since 02/09/25 and a complaint had been made to the Police at Niger State. Investigation is ongoing.”
Edafe said the Command arrested suspected armed robbers and recovered one locally made cut-to-size gun/illicit drugs. “On 09/09/2025, operatives of Eagle Net Special Squad Asaba in synergy with The Nigeria Hunters Forest Security Service (NHFSS) led by the Commander Eagle-Net Special Squad SP Yunusa Danyaya, acting on high powered intelligence report, conducted a raid operation at Basket Market along Asaba–Benin road Uromi Junction, during the operation a total of twenty-seven (27) suspects all adults were apprehended upon thorough search one locally fabricated firearm and large quantities of illicit drugs were recovered from the suspects. Investigation is currently in progress. Preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect hibernates in the hideout, where they practice executing their criminal plans. They are in custody, and the investigation is ongoing.
“The commissioner of Police Delta State CP Olufemi Abaniwonda reiterates the importance of partnering with members of the local community in the fight against crime and criminality, while noting that security is everybody’s business. “The CP therefore urges members of the public, particularly residents of Delta state, to always make available at any time, useful and credible information that will help the Police in crime fighting.”
