“I want to alert people out there to be very careful – something terrible happened to me that I believe might happen to anybody if not careful, smart enough, or informed on time.

I come from a poor home. Our parents gave birth to only my elder brother & me. My dad passed away when I was 22 just completed high school & couldn’t continue due to lack of finances. Mom depended on local agriculture, but this wasn’t enough to feed us, let alone sponsor us to school. Mom later took me & introduced me to one of the most successful businessmen in the village; he had come for a vacation with his family -a wife & 2 kids.

When we got to his house, mom begged him & his wife to carry me along to the city, even as a house help, Or any job they could offer me at all, instead of me just sitting back & wasting away in the village. Note, mom had wanted my elder brother whom was 25 at the time to follow her to this man’s house so he could be the one to work for him instead, since he’s the elder, but he had refused, saying he doesn’t want to work for anyone. Luckily for me, I was accepted, not as a house maid as mom had earlier suggested, cuz the wife said she already had someone working as a house help

So instead, the husband offered to help, & I would work for him instead as one of his boys at one of his shops. He promised to settle me after 5 yrs with a shop of my own or 5 million naira to start. Mom & I were happy, so we agreed, & an agreement was later drafted. Since then, I’ve put in my loyalty, energy, & best efforts working for this man. He & his wife were very satisfied with my hard work & loyalty

Due to this, they decided to reward me in 4 yrs instead of the initial 5 we agreed on. I was settled with 5 million naira, with which I started the same business of my own. Mama was no longer as energetic as she used to be due to her age, &my brother had gotten 2 ladies pregnant despite being financially unfit since he was just earning a little by clearing or working on people’s farms back in the village. So I was now like the backbone of the family. Everyone in the family was depending on me. I never complained; I kept praying to my God for guidance & more grace to lift my family

My business was gradually moving, & I was taking care of mama & also supporting my brother whenever he needed assistance. But something happened.. My brother contacted me & said there’s this friend of his in Cameroon, precisely Yaoundé, whom he claimed was doing great & had contacted him to help him get a job where he would be making good money. He said there’s this new company where they’re being paid 400K FCFA per month that is ₦1,099,680, & after 6 months of work, their salaries & benefits are increased.

He said the friend kept insisting that space was going to get full, & that he should come immediately as possible, & 150k FCFA (₦414,600) was needed so he could see their boss & quickly get an entry as soon as possible, since it was just a few people left before there were no vacancies left. Well, it sounded convincing, & I was happy, knowing that at last my brother would finally get a gud job & become responsible after all.

It was just 1 year gone since I started my business; I had just started I wasn’t doing all that well, but I was ready to sacrifice for my brother – if ₦420,000 could make him a better person, then why not? I provided the money, & he left for Cameroon the next week. When he got there, he called me & said everything was going great, & he had met with his friend Daniel & had gotten the job already. My mom & I were so happy. For continuous 2 weeks, he was the one calling me often & telling me everything was going well & how rich his friend Daniel was, just updating me about how good life was in Cameroon. I was excited,

But there was something strange. He would be the one calling me, but when I called him, he wouldn’t pick up; he didn’t even take video calls, yet we would be texting on WhatsApp. There was a day I asked him, “Come, why are you never taking my calls nor picking up immediately when I call, let alone answer a video call, yet we’ll be texting on WhatsApp?” Then he said it was company rules that they’re not allowed to make calls or use phones, let alone video calls. I didn’t want to argue further, so I let it slide.

After about 4 weeks, my brother started being persistent and insisting that I come over to Cameroon instead of wasting my life away in a business that wasn’t profitable nor helping me. According to him, we could both work in that company & make much more money to set up our family for life. I slept on it for about 5 days, & was convinced it made sense, so I decided to go to Cameroon to join him. Somehow i got excited, sold my shop & everything I had back in Nigeria & headed for Cameroon. My brother had guaranteed me that he had already made all necessary arrangements & that I would start work immediately I arrived,

I was very happy. When I arrived at the location he told me to, it took about an hour before he came. When I saw him, I was shocked – he looked so skinny & pale. I was like, “Bro, what’s happening?” He didn’t say a word. We didn’t even hug or properly greet like a brother whom has been away from his brother for a while, he acted cold, well I followed him to the car he came with, & before I knew it, I was surrounded by some guys who blindfolded both of us – my brother & me. I was confused & scared. We were taken to a certain hall; it was a very big place but a bit darker inside.

There, I met several other people – we were more than 25 in that hall. Everything I had on me, my phone, including half the amount i sold my shop & had converted to CFA was taken away. That’s when I realized I had fallen into the hands of kidnappers. My brother had been kidnapped all along & had been asked to provide someone before he would get released – cuz that’s how it works: you must provide at least 3 people for your replacement before you get released. Depending on how much they took from you or was Paid for ur release..

I was the 3rd person to have been brought in by my brother, so he was released. But before then, i had earlier confronted him for bringing me even his only brother in k knowing fully well i was the only one taking care of mama. A month gone, I was still there, unable to bring anybody – all the people I called were kind of doubting, & I didn’t have many friends. You don’t make calls or answer calls, they keep your phone & you only talk to those people whom you’re trying to convince to come over, when someone calls allegedly to be one of the clients you’re to bring in, they bring the phone for you to answer or rather call back. This made sense, the reason my brother never picked my phone on time nor take video calls

Well, i pleaded with them to allow me to pay instead of bringing someone, cuz I didn’t have anybody. After a debate among themselves, they said okay, I should pay. They demanded a huge amount of money – almost all the money I had left in my bank account back in Nigeria.
Somehow, I managed to pay them through a bank transfer, & they released me. I was released, but my life was shattered. I had lost everything: my business, my savings, my dignity. I returned to Nigeria, back to my mother’s humble home, with nothing but the clothes on my back & a heavy heart.

My mother was devastated, her hope for a better life for our family crushed once again. I realized then that the job in Cameroon was just a clever scãm. The “company rules” about no phone calls or video calls are just a tactics to keep people in the dark. I was angry, hurt, & felt betrayed by my own brother. It’s been 2 months gone since the incident & Till date he’s no where to be found.

I’m grateful to be alive & I’m sharing my story to wærn others about these sc’ãms & kìdñæpngs hãpê’nìng in Wê’st & Cêñtrãl Afrìça. Please be cautious of too-good-to-be-true job offers both home & abroad. My family & I are now starting from scratch. I’ve learned my lesson. I’m wiser & more vigilant. I look at myself everyday in the mirror & shed uncontrollable tears, but I’m still hoping & trusting on my God 😭😭 He will surely lift me once again. 😭😭” #scams