“Watch closely before boarding a taxi. Take a close look at the passengers before you enter if you are the last person. Do not engage in any conversation whatsoever with anyone inside the taxi. Once you sense anything amiss, ask them to drop you immediately. Pray before you enter any taxi. Hold your purses, wallets and phones tightly. Do not agree for an existing passenger to alight and ask you to get inside first. The moment they start having a weird conversation among themselves, scream for them to drop you…” these safety tips and more are what people who board roadside taxis hear almost every day and are advised to adhere strictly to, because of the infamous way predators in the country have been using for years to prey on their fellow citizens.
One can never be careful enough anyways.
Miss G headed out to town in Abuja a couple of weeks ago for a wedding ceremony which she was supposed to attend with a friend, but unfortunately, her SIM card had been barred, so she could not make calls. Any taxi Miss G boarded, she would plead with the driver to borrow her his phone so that she could call her friend for direction. So she boarded this taxi along with other seemingly harmless passengers, and as usual, pleaded to be given a phone for a call. Then one of the passengers graciously gave her a ‘free’ SIM card. Along the line, one of the passengers, a female, dropped from the taxi, and as she alighted, she and the driver got into a small argument. The driver accused her of carrying ‘that thing’ in his car trunk and he threatened to take her to the police station and have her arrested. She began to plead with the driver not to get her arrested.
The other passengers who have been in the taxi before Miss G entered began to plead with the driver on her behalf for mercy as well. Not wanting to feel like the unsympathetic one, Miss G joined the moving train.
And that was the last thing Miss G remembered.
Days later, Miss G used the SIM card given to her in the taxi to call a friend of hers who uses the True Caller App, and according to her friend, the name that popped up on the app was “One Chance”. Her friend picked up the call and said, “Miss G, why are you calling me with One Chance?” And it was in that instant that something clicked in her head.
Miss G ended the call, and she realized that she had been scammed. She went through her phone and discovered that she had transferred four hundred thousand naira – money that she was using to run her POS business – to them already, and added to that, she had also been calling her friends to borrow money from them to give to these people. It was this particular friend of hers who mentioned “One Chance” that actually brought her back to her senses. Miss G was heartbroken and devastated. She had been robbed off her hard-earned money. She could not recall what happened after she joined the other passengers to plead with the driver and when exactly she transferred the money to them, but all her life’s earnings were gone.
Apparently, those people in the taxi are a team, and this tactic of theirs is not particularly new for a lot of people using public transport. For years now, and according to the testimonies of other people, this has been their strategy. Anyway, unknown to these people that Miss G had come to her senses, they kept calling her for money. Miss G stopped picking their calls.
She went to the first police station to make a report and possibly get justice, but they demanded for money; something that Miss G did not have as she had already been stripped naked financially. Miss G left that police station and went to another one to file a complaint, but they also requested money from her before they would help her. Miss G was helpless.
Then one of the policemen took her to a corner and whispered to her to meet him at a certain hotel later in the day in order for him to be able to help her. Miss G was already in a lot of mess, and so she did not want to add sleeping with a policeman for something she was not even sure would work to the list.
So, Miss G went home without help to lick her wounds.
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One can never be too careful you know, only God can help someone in this our country.
Even looking at the passengers inside a taxi doesn’t really guarantee safety 100%, because they even use old women or a breastfeeding mother that you won’t suspect anything.
I feel sorry for miss G.
It’s a really pathetic situation.
This act, although popular, can still affect most people today. It’s sad that miss G was a victim.
It still can, because you can never be too smart or careful.
Ohhhh myyyyy.. in this present day economy for one to be caught by these heartless people…Omo I feel for miss G ooo.
It’s so sad.
Well, we thank God for life first boarding the “One chance” Vehicle because it could have been worst. But still, she was ripped off either ways. A major factor was desperation and if could happen to anyone, I pray she quickly recovers from it
Yeah, it could happen to anyone.
I can deeply relate to Miss G’s heartbreaking and disturbing experience. I went through a similar ordeal last year, but thankfully, I didn’t fall for their scam. The fake stories were too good to be true, and I refused to engage in their conversations. My instincts saved me.
I empathize with Miss G’s pain and frustration, especially when seeking help from law enforcement proved challenging. I pray she finds the strength to overcome this traumatic experience and recovers from her financial loss.
The law enforcement are also one of our major issues, sad to say.
Great write up
Thank you!
real life stuffs , most especially in Lagos
Sad! this happen’s almost everyday, most especially in lagos
And I’m wondering when it’ll end😢
Sad reality.. one can’t just be too careful, it’s God’s protection and guidance that’s utmost
Well said.
The dangers that we face every day can not be over emphasised.
God help us all.
That’s why we need to pray before leaving our house and also be vigilant, most times no matter how careful we are no one is too big to fall for such trap
Honestly.
It very important for us to be careful when boarding a vehicle
Very careful
This story has reminded me that, our going out and coming in each day with zero problems is by the grace of God.
And it should be cherished.
I feel so sorry for miss G, having fallen victim of those ruthless and heartless people. I pray she recovers quickly from all the her loss
I pray so too.
In this T-pain era, and the right authorities are not helping. May God replenish her pocket in hundred folds
Amen o!