Woman calls out fraudulent rice vendor for scamming her mother of ₦756k and another customer of ₦7m
A Nigerian woman has called out a fraudulent lady, Esther Ene Ohepo, who posed as a rice vendor in Otukpo Rice Mill, Benue, and scammed her mother of ₦756,000 and another customer of ₦7 million.
In a lengthy post shared on the popular social media platform X (formerly Twitter), the woman revealed the troubling details of her mother’s experience with the scam.
According to the post, her mother, who has been confined to a wheelchair due to a spinal surgery, began a rice business to ease the financial burden on her children.
In 2021, the mother bought rice from Esther, whom she had only communicated with over the phone and WhatsApp. She started selling rice to customers in Akure, her hometown, with the hope of growing the business.
However, in December 2022, Esther convinced her to place a larger order of 26 bags of rice worth ₦4 million, promising delivery within a week.
Unfortunately, the delivery was delayed and excuses piled up. When the rice never arrived, and Esther failed to refund the money, the woman began to suspect fraud.
Despite repeated attempts to resolve the issue, including involvement from the police, Esther continued to avoid accountability.
The woman reached out to a previous customer of Esther’s, who revealed that he, too, had been scammed for ₦7 million. He had filed a petition against her, and Esther was reportedly paying him back in installments.
The woman explained her frustrations in trying to recover the money, noting that she had even contacted someone in Benue to help but had not made any progress.
Police in her mother’s area had also been unable to act due to jurisdictional issues.
She expressed her frustration at the lack of support and her mother’s sadness over the situation, emphasizing that her mother’s intentions were always to earn a living despite her health challenges.
In closing, she urged the public to understand her mother’s plight and refrain from criticizing her, emphasizing that if she had been able to fully provide for her mother, this situation might have been avoided.
FULL STATEMENT:
“Good day everyone, today marks the second day of my mission to call out a fraudulent woman named Esther Ene Ohepo, who disguises herself as a rice vendor at Otukpo Rice Mill, Benue. This may be a lengthy read, but I implore you to indulge me so that others may be saved from this deceit.”
“I know it’s still early in the year to start calling people out, but I’ve run out of options, as every other attempt has proven futile. In 2021, I bought a 25kg bag of rice from a seller here on Twitter as a gift for my mother to try.”
“After receiving her feedback, she liked it and wanted to buy more, especially since it was affordable and made in Nigeria. I only went back to the seller twice to ask a question and leave a review.”
“During one of my visits to my mom, I noticed she seemed sad and worried. Knowing her well, I could tell it was something serious, especially since she had survived two near-death experiences in 2010 and 2017. I asked her what was wrong, and she reluctantly opened up.”
“She told me that since the last bag of rice I sent her, after complaining that it wasn’t exactly 25kg as promised, she had been in touch with the seller and even started her own rice business.”
“This was surprising to me, but I understood her desire to do something for herself. As an elderly woman confined to a wheelchair after a spinal surgery, she wanted to earn and stay productive instead of depending on her children for financial support.”
“She told me that she started small, with five bags of rice, which were successfully delivered. She even rented a small shop in Akure, my hometown, without informing me, and placed her cousin’s wife in charge.”
“She sold the rice to people who appreciated the fact that it was Nigerian-made, cheaper, clean, and of good quality.”
“By December 2022, after receiving many orders, she decided to place a larger order with Esther, whom she had never met in person but had only communicated with over the phone and WhatsApp.”
“She paid for 26 bags of rice in installments, as she was initially cautious. Her intention was to invest ₦4 million fully, but she decided to start small. Esther promised that the bags would be delivered in a week, but the delivery kept getting delayed.”
“When Christmas came around, my mother couldn’t fulfill the orders, and her customers, who had been satisfied with the rice, became upset.”
“My mom fell ill, and that’s when I visited her. She explained that Esther claimed the truck driver had driven off with all the bags. She promised to refund the money in January, but it never happened. My mom, being kind-hearted, agreed to give Esther more time to recover, understanding that doing business in Nigeria can be tough.”
“Esther never contacted my mom or refunded any money. My mom, afraid to tell me, eventually called me to explain the situation. She had sent her caregiver to the police station to get the DPO’s number and called Esther, who promised to repay her in installments.”
“At this point, I contacted a previous buyer of Esther’s, who shocked me with the revelation that Esther had scammed him for ₦7 million. He had filed a petition and had her arrested, and she was paying him back in small amounts. We exchanged contact details in the hope that he could help me locate Esther and recover my mother’s money.”
“It has been a long, difficult, and frustrating journey. Esther has continued to deceive us. She even claimed that her husband died (the same husband shown in the picture above). The person who helped me was sent a voice note from her, crying and telling him the news. However, I couldn’t sympathize because her husband had been involved from the beginning.”
“The man my mom spoke to when she first complained about the rice quantity was the same person who communicated with her when the first delivery was made. Esther later took over communication, and we have not been able to get any help from a contact in Benue who promised to assist.”
“She keeps saying I need to come to Benue, and the police in my mother’s area can’t help either. I’m at my wit’s end, and my mom is unhappy.”
“My mom is hypertensive, physically disabled, kind-hearted, and hardworking. Despite her situation, she never let it deter her from trying to earn a living at her age.”
“I understand this is a lengthy post, and some may question why I didn’t report the matter to the police earlier. We have reported it, but the police don’t have jurisdiction, and they don’t even know where Esther is.”
“Instead of criticizing my mother, I ask that you focus your judgment on me. If I had been able to fully provide for her, she wouldn’t have felt the need to start this business.”
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