When Oyindamola Taiwo (not real name) got a Facebook message on September 9, she was puzzled over why a US-based man was texting her. This interaction would cost her N143,000 a week later.
Taiwo was a single mother running a hair salon business in Ibadan, the capital city of Oyo State. From the proceeds of her business, she contributed to a monthly ajo (thrift) to save money to pay her daughter’s school fees in October.
This plan was going well until a potential suitor found her on Facebook.
While posturing as a ‘Tokunbo Coker,’ a resident of Laredo, Texas, in the USA, this man added Taiwo as a friend on the social media platform and sent her a message.
Their interaction continued on Facebook for two days. On September 11, he told her he arrived in Lagos State to care for his 93-year-old father, whom he claimed was “very sick of diabetes”.
At this point, the man she did not know suddenly appealed to her empathy. To Taiwo, her new friend left his 12-year-old daughter in the US to care for his 93-year-old ailing father in Lagos.
From this point on, everything that could go wrong seemed like they began to do so. “I wish I had a brother or sister because it is too heavy on me alone,” this man told her. “I lost my phone in the process of getting drugs for him at the pharmacy, and I am chatting with you on my official palmtop, and people said I have to go for my NIN before retrieving my line.”
EXTORTION
To gain Taiwo’s trust, Coker called and had her speak with a man he claimed was his father. With the number 09134819929, he called so this ‘aged father’ could pray with her and appreciate her for being by “his son”.
Coker then went on to propose a relationship with her after saying he considered her “caring and loving”.
He told her, “My father really likes you. Daddy thought I’m dating you (sic). He’s asking me questions about whom I’m calling on his phone.”
Soon after, he said he was transferring his father to University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, for further treatment. Then, he needed her money.
The calls became consistent and demands soon followed. This man had pledged love and marriage to a woman he met days ago, and the hairdresser who wanted to help, soon became a victim as her daughter’s school fees went down the drain.
Via two bank accounts; OPay 8147897214 Oluwaseyi Oluyomi Adegunwa, and GTBank 0175310372 Zainab Adepoju Titilope, this man began collecting Taiwo’s savings with a promise to repay her soon.
On September 16, Taiwo transferred N50,000, N30,000, N20,000 and N10,000 in separate transactions to Zainab Adepoju Titilope’s account This totalled N110,000. Coker had told her it was a PoS operator. Hours later, she sent N28,000 to the same bank account.
A day later, he called again to demand N2,000. She sent this to the OPay account belonging to Oluwaseyi Adegunwa. After receiving it, he called again to ask for N3,000. Again, she sent it to the same account.
One of Taiwo’s customers had earlier heard her on the phone with Coker and expressed concerns. This customer helped her to tape the conversation with Coker.
He was asking for more money and Taiwo realised that she might have been duped.
The press called Adegunwa via the OPay-linked phone number on September 17. He said he did not know anything about the matter. Afterwards, he blocked the number .
On Tuesday, the press dialled the phone number that had been calling Taiwo. This number had blocked her from reaching him.
During the call with the press , he claimed he was indeed Tokunbo Coker, but, “My Facebook was hacked. I just retrieved it yesterday. I got my NIN and retrieved my line, so I don’t know anybody like that.”
The press asked him about the September 17 call and told him his voice was captured in that call, demanding more money from her. He then said he could not respond as he was in a meeting.
He hung up the call.
Taiwo is now seeking justice while coming to terms with the realisation that a man took advantage of her empathy to rob her of her daughter’s school fees.
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