IZUNNA OKAFOR
In a shocking turn of events, a self-acclaimed plumber, Mr. Odilinye Obiora Samuel, has cunningly defrauded a landlord and some tenants in Awka, the Anambra State capital, as he escaped with their building materials and significant amount of money.
The Awka-based plumber, who is native of Awkuzu in Oyi Local Government Area of the State, was contracted to inspect and make some plumbing-related repairs at the Paradise Hostel, Awka. After inspecting the premises and various rooms, he provided the landlord with an estimate for the required repairs and specified materials to be purchased.
The unscrupulous Samuel also collected additional sums of money from some tenants who sought his services for private plumbing work and maintenance in their respective apartments. Surprisingly, he even convinced some residents to pay for materials already covered in the landlord’s bill, without their knowledge. Exploiting their kindness, Samuel collected advanced payments from some tenants, claiming he was hungry and needed to buy food.
After the inspection of the repairs that needed to be done, the landlord, simply identified as Akajiaku, accompanied Samuel to Eke Awka Market to procure the necessary materials.
After procuring all the materials, running into over ₦80,000, the landlord paid Samuel for its transportation to the hostel. He also gave him some cash and instructed him to commence work immediately once he got to the hostel; while he would meet him there after going where he kept cement to bring one needed for the work.
However, to his utmost dismay, upon returning to the premises with the cement, Akajiaku and his caretaker discovered that both Samuel and the building materials were nowhere to be found. Despite waiting patiently for his arrival, their efforts proved futile. Attempting to contact him on phone, they discovered that he had switched-off his phone. Even when he eventually switched-on his phone, he promptly blocked their numbers as well as any unknown callers, showing that he had actually scammed them.
Commenting on the act, Akajiaku expressed his deep disappointment and described it as a pure act of wickedness and dishonesty. He also wondered why a mature man like Samuel would engage in such dishonest practices or see fraud as profitable venture, without thinking about what the consequences could be on him or his generation.
The landlord’s disappointment was also shared by the tenants who also gave the plumber money amounting to over ₦30,000 for materials he was to buy for them and his handwork. They said they never believed that such an old man could be such duplicitous act.
One tenant even complained that she borrowed the money she gave to the plumber, amplifying the gravity of the situation.
As of now, the whereabouts of Samuel and the missing building materials remain unknown, leaving the landlord and the tenants in a state of perplexity.