What began as a simple business transaction is now a court battle and a story of deceit.
A lady, Mrs. Olutoyin Amusa, felt she was smart. She paid ₦2.3 million to a man who she hoped would assist her in procuring products, a deal that was meant to be fruitful, not a sad one.
The lady claims the man vanished with her cash.
On Friday, Julius Amos, 40, appeared before the Iyaganku Magistrates’ Court in Ibadan accused of swindling the cash for his own use. The offense? Stealing.
The prosecutor, Insp. Elisha Tellang, explained that the case occurred in May at Oke-Ado, a busy commercial district in Ibadan where business is done, sealed and undone.
Amos allegedly took the ₦2.3 million from Mrs. Amusa to buy goods on her account, the police report went on. But weeks passed, no goods and no refund.
“He would no longer answer my calls,” the complainant is reportedly quoted as saying to the investigators. “I paid him a visit at his residence, and they told me he was out of town.”
All her attempts at getting her money back, Tellang added, were in vain.
Amos entered a plea of not guilty.
Mrs. Moyosore Atanda, the magistrate, granted bail of ₦500,000 with two sureties in like amount, and adjourned the case to June 26 for mention.
For Mrs. Amusa, though, the sting is not about losing money, it’s about disappointment. About trusting an individual, and being met with silence.
It’s a reminder that in this economy, consumers are not just battling inflation, they’re battling deception in business transactions that once depended on a handshake and trust.
