Anger in Osogbo as food vendor vanishes with customers' cash

Concerns are rising among people in Osogbo, Osun State. A food vendor has reportedly disappeared after taking advance payments for food items sold at very low prices.

A video shared by Osogbo Updates and spread widely on social media shows the business in the Odi-Olowo area of Osogbo. Residents were drawn in by the cheap prices for items like rice, cooking oil, spaghetti, and semovita.

Customers had to pay in advance and return about a week later to pick up their food packages.

But on Monday morning, some customers who went back to the store found it closed. The operators were nowhere to be seen.

A video seen by PREMIUM TIMES showed a large crowd around the shop. Some customers were worried about the money they had spent on their food packages.

Adabanija Sulaiman, a local who did not fall for the scam, spoke to PREMIUM TIMES. He said this situation has caused worry among customers, especially those who paid large amounts.

He mentioned that affected customers are now planning a protest to get their money back.

Mr Sulaiman explained that many people were attracted to the business because of the low prices. He compared it to schemes where people are encouraged to invest small amounts for promised bigger returns.

"It is like those people that will say you should come and invest with small money and get a large amount of money. They’re selling their food stuff at low prices, so, many people have paid for them to buy it at low prices and resell at the normal prices of those products."

Mr Sulaiman said customers have lost their money since the operators vanished. "Now they have scammed them and run away with their money."

The sudden closure has raised questions about how the business operated and what happened to the money they collected.

As of now, the operators are unreachable, and it is unclear why the shop closed.

When contacted, the Osun State Police Command spokesperson, Abiodun Ojelabi, said they had not received any report about this matter.

"We are not aware of such. There’s no report to that effect," Mr Ojelabi said.