How a bread seller was dispossessed of her life savings
By Tobi Adetunji
A bread seller who plied her business around Sango Ota roundabout in Ogun State was dispossessed of her entire life savings in the wee hour of yesterday.
The mother of one who simply identify as herself as Mariam claimed she is from Igolo and usually comes out 5:00am to sell bread and butter to passerby.
Narrating her ordeal to Nigerian Newsdirect at about 9:33am yesterday, she said on this fateful day, she was going about her business when a customer requested to buy loaves of bread from her. The man clandestinely carted away her entire life saving worth over seventy thousand naira, cell phone and left her with nothing.
She said, “My name is Mariam, I sell bread and butter to people around Sango Ota and it’s environ. I hail from Igolo and I’m in Ogun state to transact business. I usually come out early in the morning to sell to people sometimes 5:00am.
“ Very early Yesterday a male customer called me and requested loaves of bread in the following order; 2 #100 bread, 1 loaf of #200 bread and 1 loafe#300.
“In the process of attending to him another customer came around who bought a loaf of bread worth #100 bread and paid with two fifty Naira”
“In the process of attending to other customers, the man had secretly removed my purse unknowingly to me and later ordered me to deliver his goods (bread) to someone in the filling Station opposite me.
When I later checked my purse, I couldn’t find my life savings of over seventy thousand naira which I had been saving since last year January(2020), my cell phone and all that I have.”
“The money is over seventy thousand naira, because it was my savings since January 2020 till date, my cell phone and other things I can’t remember were also carted away. I am now left with nothing on me.”
In our frantic effort to lending helping hands to the victims, Nigerian Newsdirect inquired from the victim if formal report had been made in the nearest Police Station. She said she does not know any and our effort to take her along for formal report proved abortive.
Similarly, our correspondent spoke with a Police officer who was abreast of the incident but craved anonymity.
He said it will be difficult to help her out because as at the time of the unfortunate incident, no security agent was available. Hence, trailing or investigating the matter may be a cumbersome adventure as details provided by the victims were elusive and cannot be worked with effectively.
Our correspondent further asked why the victim did not bank her money. She claimed she has neither entered a bank before nor own an account.
However, Mariam pleaded to well meaning Nigerians to come to her aid as she did not know where or what her small daughter will do to survive.
