A Nigerian man has come forward with a shocking revelation, alleging that a serving commissioner in Osun State once scammed his father in the 1990s, an act that dragged his entire family from relative comfort into untold poverty. According to him, the incident was not just a financial loss but a life-altering betrayal that reshaped their destiny for decades.
The man, identified on X as @Row_Haastrup, recounted in a detailed thread how his father, who had built a respectable career with a German computer company, made the fateful decision to resign and venture into private business. With a settlement package of ₦350,000 upon leaving the company in 1995, his father believed it was the perfect opportunity to secure his family’s financial independence. Unfortunately, what followed was a devastating experience that changed everything.
He explained that his father had trusted a man—now a current commissioner—who claimed to have expertise in sourcing and importing goods from abroad. Persuaded by his assurances and connections, his father invested the entire ₦350,000 into a supposed business deal. But shortly after collecting the funds, the man disappeared without a trace, vanishing to Côte d’Ivoire and abandoning the family to face the consequences alone.
From hope to heartbreak
“My dad worked with a German company that specialized in computers. He was highly regarded, his bosses liked him, and he had mastered the ropes of the trade. He was convinced that with his knowledge of the market, strategies, and corporate partnerships, he could succeed on his own. With ₦350,000 as his settlement after resignation, he saw it as a golden chance,” the man wrote.
“He was a principled man — never smoked, never drank, and was always firm about doing the right thing. In fact, his integrity was why we left CAC in 1991 due to some financial mismanagement in the church, eventually joining Deeper Life when members evangelized to my parents. But little did he know that this single step into private business would bring unimaginable pain.”
According to the narration, the deal was simple: the commissioner, who was from the same Osun community, assured him he could help import products seamlessly. Believing him, his father handed over the entire ₦350,000. But days soon turned into weeks, weeks into months, and the family realized they had been duped. Panic set in, and desperate efforts were made to trace the man, including reports to the then Commissioner of Police in Ondo State, who was the man’s grand uncle, and even involving Interpol. Yet, the trail ended with the confirmation that he had fled to Côte d’Ivoire, never to return with the promised goods.
The spiral into poverty
“That was the beginning of our downfall. The kind of poverty we faced afterward is something I wouldn’t even wish on an enemy. My mother, a humble LASG primary school teacher, earned barely ₦1,000 at the time. Things became so bad that we survived on little to nothing until Obasanjo’s government came in 1999 and raised teachers’ salaries to about ₦9,000. Even then, it was only slightly better — life was still brutal.”
He added that the betrayal not only crippled their finances but also crushed their dreams as a family. “That man didn’t just steal money; he stole our future. He made sure we tasted shame, ridicule, and suffering simply because of his greed. It’s hard to put into words how much pain that caused us.”
Now a commissioner
The most shocking part of the story, however, was the revelation that the very man who defrauded his father is today a serving commissioner in Osun State. The narrator admitted that when his father broke the news to him last year, he almost lost his mind in anger, struggling to comprehend how someone who ruined their lives decades ago now occupies a position of power and respect.
“When my dad told me last year, I nearly ran mad. How could the same man who wrecked our family now sit comfortably as a commissioner in Osun State? My father, however, has chosen forgiveness. As a Deeper Life pastor, he has made peace with what happened, saying he holds no grudge. He even met the man and forgave him, something I’m not sure I can ever do.”
Despite the betrayal, the family eventually found a way to rebuild. The man acknowledged his father’s resilience, saying he successfully trained his children, and they are now all doing well. He ended his narration with a note of reflection, acknowledging the unpredictability of life but expressing gratitude that, in the end, their story didn’t end in defeat.
“Life is full of battles, but our hope is that the number of our victories equals the number of our struggles. My dad lost everything, but his strength and faith gave us another chance at life. That man may have stolen our money, but he didn’t steal our destiny.”
