A Lagos State resident, Joseph Abel (not real name), has narrated how Salisu Bilikisu, a nursing student at a Sokoto State school, seized his iPhone X in May 2022, after trusting her to deliver it to a techie that could fix it.

Abel, a professional shoe builder, told FIJ that this incident happened when he was posted to Argungu, Kebbi State, for the compulsory 12-month national youth service.

He stated that the phone was having a screen problem and other minor complications and he trusted Bilikisu to help deliver it to a technician recommended to him.

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“My iPhone X’s screen got spoilt. While looking for someone to fix it for me, Bilikisu’s friend simply recommended a phone technician, who lives in Sokoto, to me. I then thought Bilikisu could help me give the phone to the technician since she schools in Sokoto,” Abel told FIJ.

He said Bilikisu, a daughter of a revered community leader and traditional title holder in Argungu, agreed to deliver the phone to the techie. However, he was alarmed when she later informed him that her bike man, whom she had instructed to take the phone to the technician at his workshop, claimed to have lost the phone on his way.

“To my chagrin, Bilikisu called me that her bike man had lost my phone and she didn’t know how to table the issue to me on time. I simply couldn’t believe the claim,” he said.

“Initially, she was asking me about the market value of the phone, claiming that someone was interested in buying it. But I told her I didn’t want to sell it. Along the line, we both checked jiji.ng and compared prices. At the time, it was worth N128,000.

“She then said she would get another one for me. She told me she had N70,000 and I added N20,000 to make it N90,000.

“To my surprise, when I received the phone, the battery was bad; its iCloud compromised and its screen faulty. I called her on the phone within two hours to complain to her.

“I then said I would return the phone to her, but she said she could not return the phone. I asked her to give me the seller’s phone number, but she declined. I further demanded that she show me the purchase receipt or bank transfer receipt, but she was unyielding.

“The circumstance she explained to me was fishy and I refuse to believe her.”

Speaking further with FIJ, Abel said, “My business is suffocating because it lacks enough funding. I want her or her parents who intervened to pay my money or give me a phone I can convert to money to help my business.”

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BILIKISU’S FAMILY COMES IN

Abel informed Bilikisu’s family, who, after expressing their disappointment, promised to get another phone for him.

“At a point, I was forced to relay the issue to Bilikisu’s father, Chief Salisu Nagamare, and her brother, Salisu Halliru. I explained what happened and they assured that they would get another one for me,” Abel explained.

“Halliru specifically told me to trust him to get another phone for me or return the money. He said he could pay N100,000 to me if he could not get another phone. He agreed that the phone Bilikisu bought earlier was worthless.

“Her father told me to keep reminding him and he would make sure I didn’t lose out completely. So, I left the phone with them.”

FIJ reached out to Bilikisu, Salisu and Halliru on Saturday and Tuesday for comments on the matter.

Bilikisu explained that after her parents pledged to get another phone for Abel, she was not aware of any other subsequent development on the matter.

When asked on Friday to show the transaction receipt for the phone via WhatsApp, Bilikisu rather asked, “Do you know how many transactions I have done between then and now?” She, however, promised to look for it later without specifying a date.

Bilikisu’s father, Chief Salisu, told this reporter that “this has nothing to do with the media” and dared Abel to go to court.

Halliru told our reporter that he had been facing personal issues that had prevented him from fulfilling his promise to Abel but hoped to pay him the money soon.

“I could have paid his money. I have been going through some personal issues. Recently, I sold my car to a man for N3 million and he has not paid me for the past two months. At a point, he ran away and I could not reach him despite involving law enforcement agents.

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“Luckily for me, his family has made him available and they requested that I give a month to deliberate on the matter and communicate their plan on how to make him pay my money.

“I was even insisting that he provide my car, but they said it would be easier to pay the money than produce the car, having sold it to another person.”