Some residents of Ushafa community, Bwari Area Council, Abuja, have raised the alarm over the alleged fraudulent activities of a Micro Finance Savings and Loan Firm, known as “God First.”
The firm, owned by one Mr Vincent, an indigene of Kogi state, has thrift collectors, who collect money from owners of small scale businesses.
The business owners, who desire loans, are asked to deposit certain amount in order to qualify for the loans.
Mr Owen Frank, a barbing salon and boutique owner, who narrated his ordeal with the firm to DAILY POST, said, “some female workers with the firm came to me for daily contribution and told me about the business.
“They said if I had up to N10, 000, I will be given a loan of N50, 000 or N20, 000 in exchange for N100, 000. They gave me a form to fill, which cost N1, 500. After filling the form, they brought a guarantor form which was signed with my details, including passport photograph and International passport.
“I invested N22, 000 and I was to get a loan of N120, 000 within one month but one month went by and I didn’t hear from them.
“Two months went by and there was no response from them. They kept dribbling me until I finally got through to one of them on phone. I insisted I needed my N22, 000, that I didn’t want the loan anymore and that I was no longer interested in the business.
“I couldn’t take it anymore, so I traced the lady who collected my money and got her arrested at the Bwari Police Station on June 25.
“The lady said their main branch was in Nyanya. On Monday, June 27 when we got there, we didn’t meet Vincent and no staff was present because they had gone to the field to collect people’s monies.
“We waited for a while and Mr Vincent didn’t show up and all efforts to reach him on phone were abortive. Right there in their main office, we met business owners who were there to also see Vincent to demand for their money.
“Since we were waiting for Vincent, who was not fourth coming, we proceeded to Nyanya Police Station to lay a complaint.
“When we got there, the officers said we should go outside, ‘put our heads together before we come in, so we can sort them before they take our statements’.
Continuing, Frank said, “Because we didn’t give them bribe, they didn’t attend to us so we went back to Vincent’s office and confiscated some equipment, including computers and office chairs.
“We took these items to the police station and they rejected them; we took them back to the office and we were arrested on getting there. We were detained based on the allegation that we ‘vandalized the office.’
“Since Wednesday, I and other complainants, including a married woman with children have been in the station, yet Vincent never showed up. I kept telling the policemen to let us go, that we are innocent; they said they will take us to court.
“We were however released from detention on Friday after I contacted someone who stood in as a surety for us. We were asked to report to the station on Monday morning.
Meanwhile, DAILY POST learnt that the the female staff who took the victims to their outlet in Nyanya, has also been detained.
The lady is being detained for disclosing to those being owed the location of the Nyanya office. When contacted, the female staff told DAILY POST, that she was being owed 3 months salary despite the stress and pressure on her by those Mr. Vincent swindled. She said ” He stopped coming to the office for moths now and only speaks to us on the phone. Mr Vincent is detaining me because I showed those he swindled his new office. I did not take their money, rather he did, and he is in the best position to explain to them why he hasn’t paid them. These are people who entrusted their monies to me. This is an injustice. I’m appealing to the government to kindly help us to track Mr Vincent. He is working in connivance with the police. I was detained for 3 days. He is after our life. He said he will punish us. How can I be going through all these for just working for this man.”
When DAILY POST contacted Mr. Vincent on the phone., he admitted he was indebted to some people from Ushafa and other areas, but claimed that those he detained with the police for three days vandalized his office in Nyanya. When asked why he reneged in his agreement with the contributors, he said ” I traveled when they wanted their money. I went for burial.” When DAILY POST asked further on why he should be away for two months in the name of burial, Mr Vincent said ” I’m also a journalist, I can’t be intimidated. I had expected you to publish this story when you called us yesterday. I’m okay with this now. I’m okay now.
When our correspondent tried to get through to the IPO of the case in Nyanya police station, an Inspector crime who spoke on her behalf said she had not resumed work. The officer requested that our correspondent come to their office in Nyanya.
The Nyanya Divisional Police Officer, DPO, when contacted said he could not comment on the report until he got to the station.
He told our correspondent, “I’m driving now, please call me in two or three hours.”
When we called him after two hours, he told our correspondent that he was in a seminar.
Further checks by this newspaper showed that the victims have since been arraigned in court.
Frank disclosed to our correspondent that, “We reported at the station today as we were told last week to come for our monies.
“However, Vincent connived with police officers and on our arrival, we were charged to a court in Karu and have been held in custody. We were not even served.
“Vincent who is supposed to be the complainant is nowhere in sight.”
Another victim of the scam, a trader in Ushafa, Nonso told DAILY POST that he was being owed N30,000. He said I think we went to the wrong hand. I hear Mr. Vincent is notorious in this regard. He is haunting everybody, frustrating them with the police because he is unable to pay them back. This is an injustice.”
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