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Tag: septuagenarian

  • Court jails septuagenarian for raping minors

    Court jails septuagenarian for raping minors

    An Osun High Court in llesha has sentenced a septuagenarian, Moses Adeniyi, to seven years imprisonment for raping minors.

    Adeniyi, a Chief in Ilesha, with the chieftaincy title, Loja Araromi Otokobo, was accused of raping two girls who were 13 and 14 years, respectively in his hotel in the town.

    Adeniyi, who was first arraigned on March 28, 2011, pleaded not guilty to the charge.

    The Judge, Justice Kudirat Akano, in her judgment, said the prosecuting counsel had proved his case beyond reasonable doubt.

    Akano said the convict was guilty of the charge and consequently sentenced him to seven years imprisonment.

    The Prosecutor, Mr Tijani Adekilekun, said the offence of rape contravened Sections 358 and 360 of the Criminal Code Cap 34 vol.11 Laws of Osun State.

    Adekilekun said that the convict raped the minors in his hotel in Ilesa in May 2010 after giving them on their way from school.

    “The minor accepted the offer because one of the girls’ parents was once a neigbhour to the convict.

    “But rather the convict dropping the girls at their homes, he took them to his hotel, Prince Way Hotel, Ilesha.

    “He ushered the girls into one of the rooms in the hotel and told them not to shout, warning them that if they do, they will die.

    “The convict thereafter raped the minors in turns after which he wiped their vagina with a white handkerchief and warned them not to tell anyone otherwise they will die,’’ Adekilekun told the court.

    He further told the court that the secret became opened when one of the girls’ mothers was informed by another student that a man gave the two girls a ride on their way home from school the previous day.

    Adekilekun said the woman then went to the school to inquire from the teachers.

    “The girls were afraid to reveal the identity of their rapist because they were told they will die if they told anyone.

    “It was after much assurance that the girls will not die before they narrated the whole story to their parents.’’

    The defence counsel, Mr. Sokoya Ayodeji, said he would appeal against the judgment.

     

  • Septuagenarian held for N8m fraud

    Septuagenarian held for N8m fraud

    The police have arrested a 76-year-old land speculator, John Orimogunje, for allegedly collecting N8 million from two women under pretext that he would get them land in Lagos.

    Orimogunje, whose address was not given, was arraigned Tuesday before Mr. B. A. Sonuga of a Lagos State Magistrates’ Court in Igbosere, on a six-count charge of conspiracy, false representation, obtaining, stealing and issuance of dud cheques.

    Prosecuting Inspector Haruna Ibrahim told the court that the septuagenarian and others, who are still at large, committed the alleged offences between January and August 2014.

    He alleged that the Orimogunje, sometime in January 2014, at Ikota Shopping Complex, Victoria Garden City, Lekki, obtained N8m from one Mrs. Ejiro Imafidon and Mrs. Emili Iwere, after falsely presenting himself as a land speculator to the complainants.

    The prosecutor also alleged that the defendant at the same place on June 30, 2014, “issued a Skye Bank Plc post-dated cheque in the sum of N3 million in the name of Emilia Iwere as payment for the said money he was owing her, but that when the cheque was presented for payment, it was rejected due to insufficient funds in his account.”

    It was further alleged that on July 21, 2014, at Police Zone 2 Headquarters, Onikan, Lagos, the defendant issued a Zenith Bank Plc post-dated cheque in the sum of N2.5 million in the name of Mrs Ejiro Imafidon as payment of the money he owed her, but this was also dishonoured when it was presented for payment.

    “On August 5, 2014, he also issued a post-dated cheque in the sum of N2.5million, in favour of Ejiro Imafidon, which was also rejected due to ‎insufficient funds in his account,” Ibrahim alleged.

    According to the prosecutor, the offences are punishable under Sections 410, 312, 27 (b) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2011 and Section 1 (b) (i) of the dishonoured Cheque Offences Act Cap 102, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (LFN) 1990.

    The defendant denied the charges.

    His counsel, Mr. Ademola Adewale, urged the court to grant him bail ‎ in liberal term, because of his age.

    He said: “The defendant t is very old. He is under medication and under observation from the hospital. He has even been asked to report at the hospital tomorrow.

    “I urge the court to release him to me and I will ensure he attends Court diligently. If he doesn’t sell land, he can’t pay them.”

    But the prosecutor opposed the bail application on the grounds that there was no evidence before the Court to show that the defendant was ill.

    However Magistrate ‎Mr. B. B. Sonuga granted the defendant bail, in the sum of N2million with two sureties in the like sum and adjourned till April 28, for mention.

     

  • Septuagenarian advises Amosun to transform rural areas

    Septuagenarian advises Amosun to transform rural areas

    Elder statesman and community leader, Otunba Sylvester Bakare has urged Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun to transform the rural areas in order to make life better for the people. He said the rural communities lack basic amenities.

    Bakare, who spoke during his 80th birthday celebration at his country home, Oki Igbode, Imobi, Ijebu-East Local Government Area expressed satisfaction that the governor has brought remarkable progress to Ogun.

    He said the rural communities were neglected for too long, noting that Amosun’s administration has the capacity to re-enact the same developmental stride in rural communities as he did in opening up urban areas.

    Recalling efforts to make impact in community development, he said he took up the challenge of community development when he was sponsored to the National Assembly in 1992.

    “I was first sponsored to the House of Representatives, but it was a short service. We were sworn in in October 1992 but the Military sacked us in December same year.

    “In 1992, my people called on me again to represent them at the Ogun State House of Assembly.  I contested the election and won and I was sworn in. I was there for over a year before the military struck again.

    “I thank God for the development I was able to attract to my constituency during the period and with the help of former  Governor Olusegun Osoba, his Deputy, Rafiu Ogunleye, 18km road was awarded and constructed. I thank God because the road was the only major project that has brought development to this area,” he said.

    Bakare said the people would fare better when they enjoy essential services, noting that the All Progressives Congress (APC) has proved that it was a government that cares for the welfare of the people.

    “I will love to see essential services delivered to the people by the present government. Such services include stable electricity and water supply, development in agriculture, employment opportunities for our children who graduate out of schools yearly and massive empowerment for the people,” he said.

    He maintained that attaining 80 was fulfilling, stressing that it equally had its challenges.

    “It is years of hot weather, hard work, survival, challenges, years of showing appreciation to God, having achieved all these. By my own standard, I believed I have arrived. I never believed I could come this far but God has led me all through the odds of life,” he said.Bakare cutting his 80th birthday cake

     

  • 70-year-old widow arraigned for owing 20 years’ house rent

    70-year-old widow arraigned for owing 20 years’ house rent

    A 70-year-old widow, Mrs Elizabeth Adeoni, was on Wednesday arraigned in an Osogbo customary court for owing rent arrears for 20 years.

    Lateef Adegoke, the landlord of the widow, told the court that Adeoni had not been paying house rent since 1995.

    Adegoke, therefore, prayed the court to assist him to recover his money from the septuagenarian.

    The landlord urged the court to order Adeoni to pay the rent and vacate the house.

    He said that he needed the money to take care of certain financial obligations.

    In her response, Adeoni said life had been very difficult for her since her husband died many years ago, adding that things became worse when she lost her two children.

    Adeoni, who wept in the court, pleaded with the court to beg the landlord not to eject her from the house because she had nowhere to go.

    The President of the court, Ladipo Balogun, urged the woman not to lose hope and charged her to find something to do so as to be able to pay her rent.

    Balogun then adjourned the case until March 15 for further hearing.

     

  • I deal in drugs, septuagenarian tells court

    I deal in drugs, septuagenarian tells court

    •NDLEA arraigns four suspected traffickers

    A 72-year-old man, Samuel Akhigbe, yesterday pleaded guilty to unlawfully dealing in a banned narcotic drug.

    The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) arraigned him before Justice Saliu Saidu of the Federal High Court in Lagos.

    Prosecution counsel Jeremiah Aernan said Akhigbe dealt in 3.3 kilogrammes of cannabis sativa, a narcotic drug similar to cocaine, heroin and LSD, without lawful authority.

    He allegedly committed the offence last November 9 at 5, Command Road, Ipaja, thereby violating Section 11 (c) of the NDLEA Act, 2004.

    Akigbe, who said he suffers from tuberculosis, pleaded guilty.

    “I am guilty,” he pleaded, when the one-count charge was read to him.

    Aernan asked for a new date for review of facts of the case and sentencing.

    Justice Saidu adjourned till March 12.

    NDLEA also arraigned three men and a woman – Okwuma Michael, Juliet Gabriel, Kelechukwu Eletamuzor and James Nwajagu – for allegedly attempting to import and export banned narcotic drugs.

    Prosecution counsel Fingere Dinneys said Michael was arrested last October 27 during inward clearance of South African Airways flight from Brazil at the ‘E’ Arrival Hall of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Ikeja, Lagos.

    He allegedly imported 3.4 kilogrammes of cocaine without lawful authority. Michael pleaded not guilty.

    NDLEA said Gabriel was arrested on November 15 during inward clearance of Emirates Airline from Dubai at the ‘E’ Hall of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport.  She pleaded not guilty to importing 2.9 kilogrammes of cocaine.

    Eletamuzor was arrested last November 7 at Sahcol Warehouse, a Customs area at the same airport.

    The prosecutor, Ichakpa Oigoga, said he unlawfully exported one kilogramme of Ephedrine. The defendant pleaded not guilty.

    Nwajagu was nabbed last October 13 during inward clearance of Emirates Airline from Dubai at the ‘E’ Hall of the MMIA.

    He pleaded not guilty to unlawful importation of 3.240 kilogrammes of cocaine from Dubai.

    The offences attract a maximum penalty of life sentence.

    Justice Saidu granted the four bail in the following sums: Michael, N15 million; Gabriel, N12 million; Eletamuzor, N10 million; and Nwajagu, N15 million, with two sureties each.

    One of the sureties must be their relative with a landed property in Lagos, the other a public servant not below Grade Level 15.

    Justice Saidu said the prosecution and the registrar must be satisfied with the sureties, who, along with the defendants, must deposit their international passports with the court.

    He adjourned till March 7, 8 and 12 for trial.

     

  • Lagos SUBEB honors 500 septuagenarian retirees

    The Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) has honoured 500 septuagenarians for meritoriously serving the state while in active service. The retirees were chosen from across the 20 local government education authorities.

    The retirees who served the state meritoriously before leaving service were presented with bags filled with welfare packages such as clothes and provisions.

    Speaking at the ceremony which held at the SUBEB multipurpose hall, Maryland, the chairman, Lagos SUBEB, Mrs Abosede Adelaja congratulated the celebrators who were honoured by the Lagos State Government. She said the gesture is an avenue to support them as they age gracefully and to cherish their immense contribution to the state.

    “This welfare package is to show gratitude and support them in their old age. It is to cherish their immense contributions to the development of the state during their active service years,” Adelaja said.

    Adelaja implored civil servants who are still in active service to show devotion and be truthful to themselves and God.

    She added that the event, which was seventh in its series since 2009, has continued so as to show government’s unreserved commitment, care and compassion for the aged above 70.

    One of the beneficiaries, Pastor Femi Obanla, who was once the sport officer for Alimosho local government, charged the Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode to concentrate on policies that have been forgotten such as sourcing for young but talented youths so that they can be encouraged and trained.

    “I am very grateful for this kind gesture that has been extended to us but I want our governor to focus more on the youths. You know we have young pupils who are talented but they have not been given opportunities to showcase their talents,” Obanla said.

    Another beneficiary, Mrs Caroline Aniunoh, who retired 2005 as a head teacher in Anglican Primary School, Apapa, said she was amazed that they could be remembered years after they signed off from service.

    “I am quite amazed and indeed very happy to be honoured in this manner. I give glory to God and thank the Lagos State government,” Aniunoh said.

     

  • Buhari waxes septuagenarian

    Buhari waxes septuagenarian

    After participating in the 25th Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union  in Johannesburg on Monday, President Muhammadu Buhari found time to speak with Nigerians resident in South Africa. It was hardly surprising that given his reputation for talking straight and from the heart, the president delivered what the media recognised as a bombshell. Said he: “I wish I became Head of State when I was a governor, just a few years as a young man. Now at 72, there is a limit to what I can do.” Furthermore, he reminded his audience that at 33, he was military governor, and at the age of 40, Head of State. He turns 73 in December.

    By every interpretation, his statement was semantically unambiguous. He did not have the strength of youth, he judged, and he had no illusion that the energy and drive he would have loved to demonstrate now were no longer with him. As expected, the statement touched off a firestorm of controversy. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) suggested Nigeria had been duped. Perhaps they recalled the former First Lady Patience Jonathan’s giddy campaign which stridently warned the country against being seduced into voting someone she inelegantly described as ‘dead in the brain.’ Perhaps the PDP faithful also recalled Governor Ayo Fayose’s coarse attacks on the president whom, he warned obliquely, would expire from old age before he ran his term.

    In any case, whether it was the PDP or any other party, the country was aghast that President Buhari could make any allusion at all to his age, especially in the circumscribing manner of serving as a limiter to his strength and extenuator to his age-related incapacity. It was clear the president reflected nostalgically on his youthful years and the vigour and drive he put into executing his tasks. He did not mean his statement to be understood in terms of the acuity of his mind, for notwithstanding the PDP’s cruel mockery of his age during electioneering he still seems nearly as alert and reflective as he was three decades ago. So, the president knew precisely where he appeared to be deficient, and it had to do with age, not wisdom.

    President Buhari’s media aides tried to rally to his side to mitigate this needless and self-inflicted damage. According to a didactic and expiatory statement from Femi Adsina, the president’s Special adviser on Media and Publicity, the president is today like an old wine that tastes much better. Said he: “As the saying goes, ‘old wines are tasty’ and the President Buhari we have today is a man, like old wine, that has got tastier. At 72, yes, he can’t be called a youth, but he has in quantum the wisdom, the patience, temperance and forbearance that age brings. And all these virtues he has brought to the Presidency, to make a difference in our national life. The President assured the Nigerian community in South Africa that his administration would make a positive impact on the country. And that he would do.”

    “Fine words, “ the English say, “butter no parsnips.” Mr Adesina speaks grandly about the president’s wisdom and other attributes, and he may be indisputably right. He hopes to convince us he can insinuate these virtues into a president who yearns for something else. The president was clear what ailed him. He pines after the strength of youth, in a momentary loss of concentration, when he should place emphasis on the pearls of old age. It was not just a lapse, it was a regrettable misjudgement. Those who voted President Buhari into office knew exactly what they wanted: they wanted a wise and honest man, not a wild, boisterous and avaricious youth. The greedy youth, as Nigeria’s 55 years history and intense and depressing present amply show, we have aplenty. The voters wanted change, even if that change would be midwifed by an old man.

    From the president’s rueful statement, it is obvious he is a little fixated on age. He recognises the dissonance between the chimerical vigour of his youthful years and the wisdom he is believed to possess in abundance as he ages, though he is unable to summon that virtue in the quantity he hopes. He does not need this internal conflict. Let President Buhari focus on what he has comparative advantage in, those things which, as his media aide argues, come to him naturally and effortlessly with age. As his about three weeks in office already show, and as the problems he begins to contend with also indicate, the ubiquitous advantages of youth do not recommend themselves as a useful anodyne as much as the rarer therapy of wisdom unveils the answer to more than 55 years of national pain and discomfort.

     

  • Sokoto loses 70-year-old pilgrim

    Sokoto loses 70-year-old pilgrim

    The death of a 70-year-old, Ahmadu Achida from Wurno Local Government Area of Sokoto State, has tempered the excitement of the state’s pilgrims after the Aliyu Wamakko administration donated N56m to the Holy Land visitors.

    The septuagenarian died at Muna two days after observing the Arafat, the chairman of the Publicity Committee of the state’s 2013 delegation, Labaran Dundaye, told Newsextra in a telephone interview.

    Dundaye, who is also the chairman of the Sokoto State council of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), said the deceased died after a brief illness.

    “The incident took place at Muna, near Makkah, two days after the Arafat, after Achida complained of minor body pains and other discomforts,” he said.

    “Shortly after, he was confirmed dead. So far, he was the only pilgrim from the state who died during this year’s hajj.

    “His remains have since been buried by the Saudi authorities at Makkah, after a funeral prayer at the Grand Mosque, the Ka’abah.

    “The family of the deceased have been informed about his demise,” he said.

    Dundaye said that the remaining pilgrims were hale and hearty.

    The governor’s donation did much to lift the spirits of the pilgrims but the death brought considerable despair.

    The state has 6,170 pilgrims in this year’s hajj.

    The state’s publicity committee sub-chairman on the 2013 hajj, Dundaye, said the donation was announced by the leader of the delegation (Amirul Hajj), Senator Jubril Gada, in Makkah.

    Dundaye said: “Wamakko made the donation when he visited the office of the state’s Pilgrim’s Welfare Agency, Makkah,” he added.

    Dundaye said each of the 6,170 pilgrims got 200 Saudi Riyals, equivalent of about N 9,000.

    “The gesture was an annual exercise being extended to the state’s pilgrims by Wamakko to alleviate their sufferings and to assist the beneficiaries to augment their usually-exhausted basic travelling allowances.

    “The distribution of the money was done between October 17 and 18, and all the pilgrims had received their shares,” he said.

    Accordingly, Wamakko was quoted as commending the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) for making excellent arrangements which helped in ensuring the success of the 2013 Hajj exercise.

    “Nigeria has made good arrangements in this direction and the pilgrims had prayed for sustainable peace and unity of the country during the hajj.

    “There is no compromise about the unity and peace of Nigeria, and these fervent prayers would be sustained even after the current hajj exercise,” Wamakko was further quoted.

    The governor, according to Dundaye, also commended the state’s Pilgrims’ Welfare Agency, members of the hajj delegation and the state’s pilgrims for exhibiting a high sense of commitment and patriotism.

    Governor Wamakko had also performed the just-concluded hajj exercise as the special guest of the Saudi Arabian authorities.

    The leader of the state’s delegation, Senator Jubril Gada and the chairman of the Pilgrims’ Welfare Agency, Alhaji Muntari Maigona, all attributed the success of their assignment to the unwavering commitment, support and cooperation of Wamakko to the welfare and comfort of the pilgrims.

    However, the annual hajj exercise has been concluded after the 3-day symbolic stoning of the devil at Jamrat, Muna, between 10th Zul-Hijjah to 12th Zul-Hijjah.

  • A new septuagenarian on the block

    A new septuagenarian on the block

    His education was almost truncated because of fund, but Prof Ropo Sekoni’s determination to be a scholar saw him through. Sekoni, a member of the Editorial Board of The Nation and Board Chairman, Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism, turned 70 last week. Family members, friends and associates gathered to share in the joy of the day with him in Lagos. RISIKAT RAMONI reports.

    He grew up the hard way. Going to school was not easy after his father’s timber business collapsed. He was then in form two, but he was determined not to allow that misfortune to disrupt his education.

    That small boy of yesterday has come of age. He celebrated his 70th birthday in Lagos last week. For Prof Oluropo Sekoni, it was time to thank God for seeing him through that most difficult time of his life. The boy, who found it difficult to pay his way through secondary school, is today a Professor of Literature in English at the Lincoln University, United States.

    Sekoni said: “It was tough going to secondary school, especially in my first two years because I had to go soliciting for help to pay my fees. Apart from that challenge of not having extra money, we were getting one shilling as pocket money in a week in the boarding school.”

    But he was motivated by his father’s commitment to education, even though the old man was not educated. And when Sekoni saw some students during an excursion to the University of Ibadan (UI) in 1958, his mind was made up on the path to take.

    “I saw undergraduates going to the university with academic gowns, I was surprised. I also saw how decent lecturers’ houses looked. At that time, I knew that education was important. I also saw how Africans were living in some mansions. At that time, I believed education was meant to change the quality of one’s life. Education was attributed to decent behaviour, decent living, good jobs and respect in the community. So, I was motivated to change the quality of my life,” he said.

    So, he did menial jobs to sponsor his education.

    As a Professor in a US university, Sekoni shuttled between home, where he is a member of the Editorial Board of The Nation and Board Chairman, Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism, and America.

    A- list personalities attended his 70th birthday reception at the Senator H.A.B Fasinro Hall of the City Hall, Lagos Island.

    The birthday ‘boy’ looked 50. He was charming in a cream lace Agbada with a pair of black shoes. He topped it with a wine Aso oke cap and a muffler of the same material on his shoulder.

    His wife Banke wore a wine lace Iro and buba with gele to match.

    The guests were dressed in various attires, except his children and in-laws.

    The boys wore white heavily-embroidered Agbada and wine stripe Aso oke cap.

    The women, including his in-laws wore the same damask material with purple headgear.

    A live band, the Faith Music Group entertained guests.

    Though it was not an occasion for speeches, a few guests, who spoke with The Nation, praised Sekoni

    Mrs Sekoni resisted all pleas by this reporter to speak. She was busy attending to guests. She and her child Yetunde moved round the hall to ensure that everybody was attended to.

    It took the intervention of her husband to get her to speak. She described her husband as “Super” and wished him long life.

    Archbishop Ayo Ladigbolu also wished him “the best of a future where and when he will stand on the side of the people against oppression and victimisation.”

    Prof Sekoni’s daughter, Tolu wished her dad “the very best in life.”

    “You are a good man. You’re simply the best. I love you and I pray God blesses you with many more years so you can see all your grandchildren,” she said.

    “I feel great,” Prof Sekoni responded to a question by The Nation.

    Turning 70, he said, was a major accomplishment.

    “”I never believed I could reach 70 years on earth because my parents died when I was young and when one sums up their age then, it was not up to 70. Also, in a country where the average life expectancy is 50, if one attains 70, he should thank God,” he said.

    Soon, it was time to dance. the celebrator engaged his children, family members and guests on the dance floor.

    For those who thought the septuagenarian could only dance to local oldies’ music, he proved them wrong when he gyrated with his children to the R ’n B played by the Disk Jockey.

    There were enough drinks and food. Guests relished African and foreign cuisine. Guests went home with different souvenirs.

    Among the guests were Gen Alani Akinrinade (rtd); Nobel laureate Prof Wole Soyinka; Ekiti State Deputy Governor, Prof Modupe Adelabu; son of the late Bola Ige, Muyiwa; Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief, Vintage Press Ltd, publishers of The Nation Mr Victor Ifijeh; Chairman Editorial Board of The Nation Mr Sam Omatseye and Editor, The Nation Mr Gbenga Omotoso, among others

  • A septuagenarian and his money are soon parted

    It is said that the curse of mammon is that you never could have enough and indeed, the real tragedy is that the more you have, the more you crave. This encapsulates the story of a 73-year-old man named simply Steven by the press (do they mean Simple Steven?). The sad saga of this Central Bank of Nigeria retiree is that he has lost about N10 million apparently of his pension benefits to phone fraudsters. Why would a septuagenarian gamble away so much money in search of more money? What would a man in the twilight of life want to do with N350 million, which was the jackpot he sought to hit will trading the N10 million he had in hand?

    It is true that nearly every man would want even more money even when he had no need for it, Mr. Steven’s was a pathetic case that we all must reflect upon if only to avoid falling victim. As the story which happened in Lagos, Nigeria goes, Pa Steven received a text message on his mobile phone that he had won N2 million for using up N200.00 airtime in two weeks in an Airtel promo. This was in September 2011. He was given a number, purportedly of an officer in the telecoms company, Airtel.

    The ‘Airtel staff’ of course confirmed Pa Steven’s winning, he took all his particulars, including banking details. This was followed by a request that he would have to pay 4.8 per cent of the winning as “Charge on Turnover, COT”. This amounted to N264, 200 which Pa Steven paid most excitedly, as he recounted. If you thought they would pay him the balance of the N2 million then beware for you are a candidate for a cheap scam too. Of course, it is all a set up to pick the old man clean. Soon enough they told him he had been listed in a mega promo which superseded the peanuts he had ‘won’.

    And pronto, Papa had won N350 million bumper raffle in the Airtel Club 10 promo. He was provided a name and number to contact at the Airtel head office in Lagos for the harvest of his life. The old man was beside himself with joy. What good fortune in the evening of his life he thought. But he was soon asked to pay N2 million ‘functional fee’ and after he made ‘confirmations’ according to him, he was again glad to pay. What is paltry N2 million to 350 big ones? Pa Steven promptly dashed over to GTB and paid up. As he warmed up to begin to draw from his pot of luck, not so fast, they told him: another ‘small’ N3 million is needed; and yet another N4million… his alarm finally went off. What a rusty alarm it must be!

    It was at this K-legged juncture more than one year after he started this voodoo business that it dawned on him that he just might have been suckered. At least Papa still had the presence of mind to approach the police. Operatives of the Special Fraud Unit (SFU), Ikoyi, Lagos, directed Papa to play along with the scammers by paying into one of their accounts in Keystone Bank. As one of the shadowy fellows, a 22-year-old tried to cash the money, he was nabbed. The miscreant had opened the special utility account with forged particulars but he lied that he was merely helping friends to receive. He had also lied that he was an orphan but his mother was soon to show up at the police station.

    Why you may wonder why Pa Steven fell for the cheapest trick in the con book, how do we explain the role of the banks mentioned in this sordid tale? One had some comfort when transactions were carried out through the banks but not anymore. And the moral of this is that a little kobo in your hand is worth more that the big naira you are dreaming about.