Popular Nigerian comedian and entertainer Okey Bakassi has announced a ₦5 million reward for information leading to the recovery of approximately eight mobile phones stolen during a private weekly football session in the Ikoyi district of Lagos.
The theft, which occurred on the evening of Wednesday, April 15, 2026, was brought to public attention through a video statement posted by Bakassi on his Instagram page, in which he recounted, with visible frustration, how a stranger infiltrated the group under the guise of sportsmanship before allegedly making off with the devices while participants were absorbed in play.
According to Bakassi’s account, the incident unfolded with a simplicity that made it all the more audacious. A young man arrived at the group’s regular Wednesday evening pitch in Ikoyi and requested to join the game. “Out of our own kindness, we allowed him to join us,” Bakassi said in the video, his tone shifting between disbelief and resolve.
The suspect, described only as a young male, reportedly participated briefly in the match before feigning an injury and retreating to the sidelines. It was from this vantage point, the stands, away from the action, that he allegedly executed what appears to have been a calculated theft, gathering approximately eight handsets from the area where players had left their belongings before slipping away undetected.
“While we were carried away playing football, this criminal carted away people’s phones. Took about eight handsets and disappeared,” Bakassi stated.
The gravity of the situation, Bakassi stressed, extends well beyond the monetary value of the handsets themselves. He confirmed that the stolen phones belong to businessmen for whom these devices are critical professional tools — repositories of contacts, transactions, and sensitive data essential to their daily operations.
Bakassi confirmed that the matter had already been reported to the police, with investigations currently underway. However, unwilling to rely solely on official channels, the comedian took matters into his own hands by issuing a direct public appeal and a firm ultimatum.
Addressing the suspect pointedly in his video, he warned: “If you’re the one who came out this evening to play with us and you feel that the way to pay us back is to cart away phones and vanish, we will find you. It will only take time.”
He gave the suspect a 24-hour window to return the stolen devices to the security post at the venue, framing the offer as an opportunity for the individual to act in their own best interest before the noose of investigation tightened.
Beyond the ultimatum, Bakassi issued a broader public appeal, extending an offer of ₦5 million to any individual with the technical capability to trace even one of the stolen phones, directing interested parties to contact him via direct message on Instagram.
The reward signals not only the depth of concern among those affected but also an increasing trend among high-profile Nigerians of leveraging social media reach and personal resources to accelerate justice in cases where institutional response is perceived to be slow.
In a particularly instructive closing remark, Bakassi turned his attention to the wider public, specifically targeting prospective buyers in Lagos’s bustling second-hand electronics market.
He urged anyone approached with mobile phones at suspiciously low prices to exercise extreme caution, insisting on proper identification and verification from sellers before completing any transaction.
The warning carries practical weight in a city where stolen devices routinely surface quickly in informal markets across areas such as Computer Village in Ikeja, often resold before victims have had a chance to report their loss.
As investigations continue, the case serves as a sobering reminder that in Lagos, as in any major city, vigilance cannot be set aside, even on the football pitch.
Anyone with information is encouraged to contact Okey Bakassi through his official Instagram account. The police have also been notified and are actively pursuing the matter.
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
Popular Nigerian comedian and entertainer Okey Bakassi has announced a ₦5 million reward for information leading to the recovery of mobile phones stolen during a private weekly football session in the Ikoyi district of Lagos.
The theft at Okey Bakassi’s Ikoyi football gathering is a stark reminder that criminals increasingly exploit trust and goodwill as weapons. A stranger was welcomed onto the pitch out of kindness — and repaid that kindness with theft.
Investigations are ongoing and a ₦5 million reward hangs in the air.
