Fears of a kidnapping involving well-known TikTok content creator Habeeb Hamzat, also known as Peller, have been dispelled by the Lagos State Police Command, which maintains that the performer is “safe and not abducted.”
Early on Thursday morning, social media was engulfed in panic following a widely shared video that purported to show the comedian being violently pulled from a car by armed men who were thought to be kidnappers. The video, which went viral on X, Instagram, and TikTok, showed Peller fighting angrily with men beside a white minivan.
Before being dragged from his vehicle, the influencer could be heard in the video seen by Vanguard asking why the men were pointing a pistol at him. The sudden halt of the webcast stoked rumors that he had been taken away.
The incident triggered a storm of comments online, with many of his supporters calling for quick assistance from security services.
Reacting to the development on Channels TV, the Lagos Police Command spokesman, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, claimed Peller was never kidnapped, noting that the matter was “blown out of proportion” by social media users.
He said initial investigations showed the entertainer was safe and there had been no kidnapping. However, he warned the public against disseminating unreliable information that could cause needless anxiety.
He stated: “The widely circulated rumor that TikTok influencer Peller was abducted is untrue. He’s secure. The incident that was being sold online was not an instance of kidnapping. We urge everyone to double-check facts before disseminating it.
Hundeyin went on to say: “We are looking into the claim, but we can affirm that Habeeb, also known as Peller, is at home safely and sound. Nothing is gone, his car is undamaged, and he has all of his phones and belongings. Our next course of action will be determined by the findings of our inquiry.
