In a disheartening turn of events, a local trader on Bodija Market Road has unfortunately found herself entangled in a scam that has left her without both a bag and the payment of #16,500.
Mrs. Dorcas Ishola, who runs a small shop where her array of colorful bags and footwear, sold a sophisticated traveling bag to the alleged buyer, identified through an investigative effort by our correspondent as Saddam Sale.
According to Mrs Ishola, a deal was struck after negotiations, with Saddam claiming to have made the payment through a cash transfer through banking App on his phone.
However, as time progressed, the trader grew increasingly concerned when she failed to get the expected transaction notification. She went as far as checking her bank account balance at the ATM stand of a nearby First Bank branch, which also revealed no trace of the purported transfer.
Despite her apprehensions, Mrs Ishola, in good faith, allowed Saddam to take possession of the bag, with the assumption that there was a delay in the payment process.
Days turned into weeks, and the money was not delivered.
“After the second day, I attempted to contact him to address the issue, only to discover that the line he gave me was not reachable. I assumed that it was network until I called him with another line and it rang.
“As soon as he realized it was me, he disconnected the call and blocked that line as well. I have been trying to reach him through different lines and he is no longer picking calls.”
The incident has left Mrs Ishola frustrated and dejected. She stated that although she remained hopeful that she could get her money, she had become more conscious of matters relating to financial transactions.
“I struggle to make a profit of two thousand Naira in a day. I have stopped giving out my merchandise without receiving an alert now. People are too wicked.”
According to Mrs. Ishola, there were distinctive linguistic cues in Saddam’s speech.
“He sounded like he hailed from Benue, Edo, Kogi States; his Yoruba language had that kind of intonation.
Reports by Ojo Faruk for IbadanCity ANNOUNCER
