The family of Isak Wahab, a 60-year-old man, has been thrown into mourning after he reportedly died from shock after an unauthorized withdrawal of N700,000 from his bank account.
His wife, Monsurat, accused his friend, identified only as Ola, of making the withdrawal, which she said led to the death of the sexagenarian.
Monsurat said, “Ola was a close friend to our family, particularly my husband. He had financial difficulties with his rent and he came to my husband to tell him that he wanted to sell his generator so that he could raise money to pay his rent. My husband told him not to do that and said he (Isak) was expecting payment from our tenants and he could help. My husband then gave him N10,000.
“Meanwhile, we did not know that Ola had taken my husband’s ATM card and he withdrew money from it amounting to N700,000. He withdrew the money in tranches of N200,000, N300,000, and another N200,000.”
The deceased’s son, Ajibola, alleged that Ola stole his father’s ATM card after he (Isak) became intoxicated while they drank alcohol together.
He said the case was reported at the Ikotun Police Station for investigation, adding that the suspect disappeared after he was accused of being responsible for the death.
He said, “Last week Thursday, my dad was not alright, but I felt it was just ordinary malaria or a small illness. But later, I was told that it was serious and I had to call my siblings. We later learned from our mother that our father was defrauded by Mr. Ola.
“My father died on Friday and we buried him on Saturday. After his burial, we went to his friend’s house, confronted him, and while arguing with him, we seized his phone. Since that day, we have not seen him.
“As I speak to you, I have his phone with me and we have reported the case at the Ikotun Police Station. He had issues and needed money and our father promised to help and gave him N10,000.
“Now, Mr. Ola took our father’s ATM card, went to a PoS operator, and transferred about N700,000 from his account to other accounts. When our father saw it, he was deeply sad and he died because he never expected that his best friend would do that to him.”
When contacted by a prominent media house, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, said nobody reported the incident to the police.
He said, “I have not heard anything about the case but as soon as we get information on the matter, I will contact you.”
However, the deceased’s family insisted that the case be reported at the Ikotun Police Station on June 23, 2022.
