Nigerian man accuses Osun commissioner of defrauding his father in 1990s, pushing family into poverty

A Nigerian man has shared a painful family story, alleging that a current commissioner in Osun State once defrauded his father in the 1990s and left the family in abject poverty.

In a thread posted on X, the man, identified as @Row_Haastrup, recounted how his father, who had worked for a German computer company, decided to resign in 1995 with a settlement package of ₦350,000.

According to him, his father planned to invest in private business after years of experience in corporate partnerships and market strategy. Unfortunately, he was introduced to the now-serving commissioner, who claimed he could help import products from abroad.

He narrated that his father handed over the entire ₦350,000 for the deal, but the man disappeared shortly after collecting the money.

“My dad invested ALL of the money, and this man left with the hope of coming back with the products. One week turned to two weeks, to one month, and then we started panicking. At this point, my dad knew he had been duped,” he wrote.

The family’s attempt to seek justice through the police and Interpol revealed that the man had fled to Côte d’Ivoire and never returned.

The incident, he said, drove the family into severe poverty. His mother, then a Lagos State Government school teacher, struggled to provide for the family on a salary of about ₦1,000 monthly, until the year 1999 when teachers’ pay was increased under President Obasanjo.

“Don’t let me describe the kind of poverty we faced. It’s not what I pray for my enemy,” he lamented.

Despite the hardships, the man revealed that his father, now a Deeper Life pastor, chose the path of forgiveness when he eventually crossed paths with the commissioner.

He disclosed that although the betrayal nearly ruined their future, his father’s resilience enabled him to raise and train his children successfully.

“That man stole the future we could have had as a family. The only reason I’m not mentioning his name is because my dad met him and forgave him. He is at peace now and proud that, despite everything, he was able to train his boys and we are all doing well,” he concluded.

The revelation has sparked mixed reactions online, with many Nigerians expressing shock that someone accused of such an act decades ago could now occupy a public office.