As reported by the Nigerian Tribune, a 28-year-old man named Oluwanisola Quadri was arrested by the Oluyole Security Surveillance Team in Ibadan, Oyo State, for allegedly defrauding several Point of Sale (PoS) operators and traders.
Quadri reportedly deceived his victims by using fake bank transfers, pretending to send money through mobile banking applications.
Reports indicate that his method involved asking PoS operators for cash while claiming he would transfer the equivalent amount, including the service fee, via a banking app.
However, these transactions were fraudulent. His arrest came after victims filed complaints, drawing public attention to his case.
During his conversation with the Nigerian Tribune, Quadri appeared to be under the influence of substances.
In a trance-like manner, he recounted the events that led to his current predicament, disclosing a concerning history of drug addiction that began during his time at university.
“I’m from Saki but I now live at Beere in Ibadan. I came to Ibadan in July to learn truck driving. I studied Accounting at Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, in 2018, but I didn’t go for National Youth Service Corps because I was owing school fees,” he said.
Quadri acknowledged that his addiction started while he was at LAUTECH, where he was first introduced to drugs in 2013 and became deeply involved by 2015.
Things took a turn for the worse when he began using his school fees to support his addiction, leading to academic failures and strained relationships with his family.
He shared that his father, a well-respected petrol dealer in Saki, found out about his academic struggles and financial irresponsibility when he came to check on his grades.
“My father visited my school to see my results and discovered that I had failed three courses because I didn’t take the exams. He also realized that I had only paid half of my school fees despite receiving the full amount from him. He was furious and left me to handle the situation on my own,” he recounted.
Although Quadri tried to catch up on the courses he missed, he was unable to graduate due to unpaid fees, which also barred him from participating in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) program.
After his mother passed away in March 2022, Quadri moved back to Saki to live with his father. However, his father, frustrated by his ongoing issues, insisted that he pursue a career in truck driving instead of continuing his education.
“He was so disappointed in me that he was no longer interested in my education because I took to drugs,” Quadri lamented.
Quadri admitted to having a history of substance abuse and shared that his father had sent him to a private rehab facility in Abeokuta, Ogun State. Although he spent three months there, he relapsed after returning home.
“Upon my return, I fell back in with friends I shouldn’t have associated with and returned to using drugs. I was taking Siwon, pentazocine, and also smoked PK,” he said.
He credited his initial introduction to drugs to peer pressure during his early university years.
“I was first introduced to drugs by some students when I arrived at LAUTECH in 2013. I began using drugs in 2015 and even spent my school fees on them,” he disclosed.